Lost & Found
by RowArk
Summary: When Emma Swan sacrifices herself to save Storybrooke, fate decides to give her a second chance to live her own fairy tale, reincarnating her as a small child. However, when she comes through a portal to Storybrooke, she doesn't remember anything, and no one but Regina figures out who this lost little girl is. Another Little!Emma/Mommy!Regina fic since so many people love those :)
1. Chapter 1

**LOST &amp; FOUND**

* * *

**_Prologue_**

* * *

_Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess, though she did not know she was a princess. Through no fault of her own, the princess grew up living the wrong life, in the wrong world. Though she was destined for great happiness, her life was filled with great sorrow. This was not the destiny she was meant for, but instead, it was the destiny thrust upon her by powerful dark magic._

_The princess grew up to be a savior, and despite her lonely harrowing childhood, she found her family and freed them from the Dark Curse, becoming the hero she was always meant to be. But there was always more dark magic, and always another threat lurking on the horizon, threatening to destroy everything she held dear. In her final act of brave heroism, she sacrificed herself to end the Curse of the Dark One, and free all the realms from the darkest magic in existence._

_Fate is a funny thing, and it does not like to be trifled with. Once every century or so, there comes along a soul, with such light magic, and so pure of heart, that fate decides to give them a second chance. Such was the case for our princess savior._

_Life was still not simple for the newly reborn princess, for even though she was now in the realm to which she belonged, her family now resided in a different world, and hence the babe was crying alone in the Enchanted Forest when a fairy took pity on her, and brought her home. But being an apparent orphan was not the only thing that plagued the tiny baby. Soon after returning home, the fairy discovered something very odd about this little one: for every month, she aged a year._

_The fairy had never encountered such a thing, and she decided to do the only logical thing: send the child through a portal, to a world without magic… or so she thought._

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**Chapter One**

* * *

It had been almost four months since Emma's death, and Henry was still not coping well. While life was slowly starting to return to normal - their new normal - Henry was still having a hard time processing the loss of his biological mother. He resented how unfair it was that he only had her in his life for a few short years, and even though he knew she had sacrificed herself to save everyone else, a part of him was still angry at her for leaving him.

On days when Regina had to work late, Henry didn't like to stay in the house alone, since being alone in an empty house gave him too much time to think. Instead, he would go visit his grandparents, and if they were busy, he would find another way to distract himself.

On this particular afternoon, David was working, and Mary Margaret had to stay late at the school for parent-teacher interviews. Regina promised him she would only be an hour late, but that still left three hours he had to be alone after school. He decided to go out for a walk to distract himself. He didn't really have a plan of where he was headed, and after a while, he found himself in the forest, staring at the old well.

Henry remembered the time, a few short years ago, when Emma had returned to him, through that very well. He breathed a heavy sigh, as his thoughts turned quickly to the events the night Emma died - which was exactly what he was trying not to do. His mind replayed the moments over and over. It happened so fast, Emma drove the dagger into Gold's heart, and then into her own, snuffing out the darkness and ending the Curse of the Dark One in one fell swoop, true savior-style.

Everyone reminded Henry that despite everything, Emma died a hero, but it didn't really help when all he could think of was how tormented her entire life had been. He had brought her to Storybrooke to bring back the happy endings, and he knew he would never be able to make peace with the fact that she had never gotten her own happy ending.

Just then, a small rustling sound pulled Henry out of his own head, and back into reality. He turned to see a tiny figure moving in the leaves, just behind the well.

Henry took a few steps closer to investigate. It looked like a child, but he wasn't quite sure.

"Hey," he called out.

The figure moved further away, apparently frightened.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said. He knelt down and saw watery green eyes peering at him from behind the shrubs and fallen tree branches. It was definitely a child. Unbeknownst to him, this very child had returned through the same well, just like she had returned to him before. How could possibly know, when this little Emma didn't even know, herself.

Henry held out his hand, but Emma backed away a bit. Those green eyes never left Henry's face.

"You don't need to be scared," Henry said. "Are you lost?"

The child didn't respond.

"Why don't you come out of there? I can help you if you're lost. Are you hungry? Or thirsty?"

Henry dropped his backpack to the ground and pulled out a chocolate bar, but the child didn't budge. He grabbed a bottle of water, and held it up. Emma's eyes fixated on the water.

"You are thirsty. Here, you can have it," Henry said, reaching the bottle towards the her. "It's ok."  
Emma hesitated, but then slowly pushed through the shrubs, crawling towards Henry. Henry watched her emerge, with a mess of blonde curls and a tattered cotton dress. She was filthy, and scrawny, and Henry wondered just how long she had been out there.

The little girl made her way slowly toward the water, and Henry took off the cap, and placed the bottle on the grass. She took it and drank quickly, her eyes meeting Henry's again.

"Slow down," he cautioned. She drank half the bottle in just a few seconds, and then tried it hand it back to Henry.

"It's ok, you can have it. My name is Henry. What's your name?"

The little girl just stared.

"Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

She continued to stare, scrunching her face in confusion. Henry wondered if she was even understanding him.

"Where's your home?" He asked.

The little girl pointed at the well.

"You can't live in the well… Are you saying you live in the forest?" Henry asked. She nodded. She did live in a forest after all, just not this one.

Henry was relieved that she was communicating, but he wasn't sure exactly what to make of her answer. He knew the Merry Men had a camp in the woods, but to the best of his knowledge, none of them had a small daughter, and they were nowhere near the campsite.

"Are you all alone?" Henry asked.

She nodded again.

"Do you have parents? A mommy or a daddy?"

She shook her head and scooted a little closer to Henry, with her eyes on his chocolate bar.

Henry held up the chocolate bar. "You want this?" He asked. She nodded, and he pulled back the wrapper and handed it to her.  
Henry watched her as she ate it quickly, holding the chocolate in one hand and still gripping the water tight in the other, like someone might grab it from her any second.

Henry glanced at his watch. He knew Regina would be home soon, and that it would be getting dark soon. "Do you want to come to my house with me? We have more food, if you're still hungry."

The little girl stared, unsure of what to do. Henry extended his hand, and smiled when she took it, tentatively. He helped her to her feet and began to lead the way back home.

When they were out of the woods, and back on the road, Henry noticed the little girl lagging behind. He looked back, and stopped walking when he realized she had no shoes on. The pavement was probably hurting her tiny feet.

"Hey, do you want me to carry you?" He asked. She nodded, and he scooped her up in his arms, surprised by how light she was.

Regina was already home by the time Henry returned. She had come to expect him to be out on nights she worked late, and didn't generally start calling around looking for him until it got dark.

Henry put Emma down and opened the door. She grabbed onto his hand as they went inside.

"Mom?" Henry called out.

"Oh, Henry! I'm in the kitchen!" Regina called back.

Henry turned to look down at the little girl, who was looking around the large house, with big, nervous eyes.

"Hey, it's ok," Henry tried to reassure her. She ducked behind him, grabbing onto his legs as Regina came around on the corner into the foyer.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?" Regina asked, as she headed toward Henry.

He felt little hands squeezing his legs harder. "Mom, wait," Henry said, nodding down at the child.

Regina stopped and followed his gaze, and then met Henry's eyes again. "Henry?" She asked, unsure where to even begin asking questions.

"I found her lost in the forest. She was all alone, and scared and hungry," Henry explained.

"Who is she?" Regina asked, looking back at the little girl who was now peeking at her around Henry's leg.

"I don't know. She hasn't actually said anything. But I couldn't just leave her there."

"No, of course not," Regina agreed.

Regina crouched down to the little girl's eye level, but maintained her distance a few feet back, so as not to scare her. "Hi there, Little One," she said with a smile, "my name's Regina. Can you tell me your name?"

Emma didn't answer, but took a small step away from Henry to get a better look at Regina, though she didn't let go of her legs just yet.

"That's ok, sweetheart, you don't have to talk. But I bet you're hungry, aren't you?"

Emma nodded.

"Well, good thing I've got dinner cooking," she said with smile. Regina reached out her hand. "Do you think you can come with me and get cleaned up while the lasagna bakes?"

She looked up at Henry, unsure. "It's ok, you can go with her," he assured her, "she's nice. She'll take good care of you."

Emma stepped around Henry's legs slowly and took Regina's hand. Regina stood up and looked at Henry. "Henry, there's boxes of your old clothes in the spare room, can you go find some pajamas for her to wear? The boxes are labelled by size, and she looks like she's about a size 4."

"Okay," said Henry.

"Oh, and, Henry, call your grandfather. She came from somewhere, someone's got to be looking for her," Regina added.

"Okay, Mom, I will," Henry said, as he headed in the direction of the spare room.

"Come with me, Little One," Regina smiled down at her, as she led her in the direction of the stairs.

The little girl stared at Regina with wide eyes as they ascending the stairs. When they reached the bathroom, Regina kneeled down beside the tub and turned on the water, adding bubbles to the bathwater.

"You are filthy, Little One," Regina said, as she helped the little girl out of her ripped dress. "How long were you out in the woods for?"

Emma just stared.

"You can talk to me, you know," Regina said as she lifted her into the bath. Her big green eyes never left Regina's as Regina washed the dirt and mud from her skin.

Regina couldn't help but think there was something familiar about those eyes. _If I didn't know any better, I'd swear those were Emma's green eyes_, she thought to herself, before quickly shaking the thought from her mind, knowing it was absurd.

"You have a forest growing in your hair," Regina laughed, as she starting picking twigs and leaves out of her golden curls.

Emma offered her a tiny smile, as she reached up to help pull the foliage out of her hair. She handed a stem dotted with small white flowers to Regina.

"Snowbells…" Regina said softly. She had never seen those growing in Maine, but she knew they were abundant in the Enchanted Forest. _Could that be where she's from?_

"Hey, Mom, I found these ones," Henry said, coming into the bathroom, holding out a set of light blue flannel pajamas.

"Those will work," Regina nodded, as she started washing Emma's hair. "Did you call your grandfather?"

"Yeah, he said no one has reported a child missing. He's going to come over to get a picture to put up a missing persons report... and, uh, Mom?"

"Yes, Henry?"

"Storybrooke doesn't have a foster system or anything... so I told him she could stay here, until they find her parents. I hope that's okay."

Regina smiled at him. She knew it was his innate instinct to help others, and she loved that about him. "That's fine, Henry. Can you check on the lasagna? I don't want it to burn."

Henry nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

"Alright, you're all clean now. Doesn't that feel better?" Regina asked, lifting her out of the tub and wrapping her in a towel. She couldn't look away from those big green eyes. "Where did you come from, Little One?"

Emma just stared.

"Mom!" Regina heard Henry call from downstairs, "the lasagna's done!"

"Let's get you dressed so we can have dinner, okay?" Said Regina, as she helped Emma into Henry's old pajamas. They were a little big, but good enough for tonight.

She took Emma by the hand and led her down the stairs toward the dining room.

"I grabbed my old booster seat from the spare room, too," Henry said, nodding toward the chair he had set up for Emma.

Regina smiled. "Smart thinking," she said, lifting the tiny Emma up into the booster chair. She looked like she was about three, four at the most, but she felt like she weighed nothing when Regina lifted her up.

Regina scooped some lasanga from the pan, cutting the noodles into smaller pieces so Emma wouldn't choke. Emma picked up her fork without prompting.

"She told me she lived in the forest," Henry commented, "but she knows how to use a fork."

"I thought she didn't talk to you?" Regina asked.

"She didn't," Henry said, as he filled his own plate. "I asked her where she lived and she pointed at the forest. I just assumed that's what she meant."

Regina nodded and looked back at Emma, who was eating in silence.

"What are we going to call her?" Henry asked.

"I don't know." Regina looked back at Emma, who was staring intently at Henry now.

"I was thinking, Hope," Henry said. "Do you like that name? Hope?"

Emma didn't respond, she just kept eating and staring.

"That will work for now," Regina nodded, "but we really need to figure out who she is, really, and where she came from."

"Yeah," Henry nodded, and looked back at Emma. "She kind of looks like her, doesn't she?"

"Henry..." Regina said softly, knowing exactly who he meant. She didn't want to tell him she saw it, too.

"Mom, I'm just saying… maybe it's just the eyes," Henry sighed.

"It's because you miss her. We tend to see the people we miss everywhere we look. And that's okay," Regina said, patting his hand.

Moments later, Regina heard a knock at the front door. "That must be David."

"I'll keep an eye on Hope," said Henry, smiling.

Emma scrunched up her nose.

"Henry, I'm not so sure she likes that name," Regina said, standing.

Emma looked up at her, nervousness creeping back into her eyes.

"I'll be right back, Little One," she assured her.

After catching David up on all they knew about the little girl so far - which wasn't much - Regina led him into the dining room to meet her. Emma looked up at him, anxiously.

"Little One," Regina said, crouching a bit beside Emma's chair to meet her at eye level, "this is David Nolan, and he's the Sheriff of Storybrooke. He's here to help us find your parents. Would you like to talk to him?"

Emma shook her head, no.

"That's alright, honey," David said, softly. "How about we take your picture, instead? It will help us to find anyone who recognizes you."

David pulled out a camera, and Emma looked at it, perplexed. Her eyes were wide as David lifted the camera, and Emma began to scream when the flash went off.

_Well, at least we know she has a voice_, Regina thought to herself as she instinctively picked Emma up from her booster chair. "Shh, it's ok, it was just a light."

Emma wailed louder and squirmed away from Regina until she had no choice but to put her down before she fell. As soon as Emma's feet hit the floor, she took off running in the other direction.

"Maybe we should try this again tomorrow?" David suggested. Regina nodded, as she headed to follow Emma up the stairs.

_She's fast_, Regina thought to herself, as she looked around the hall and saw no sign of the child. She noticed the door to Henry's room cracked open slightly, and walked up to it, quietly. She pushed the door open without a sound, and crept inside.

She looked around inside Henry's room, in corners and under the bed, but there was no sign of the child. She was about to check another room, when she thought again and turned back, opening the closet door.

"There you are," she said softly, when she was met by terrified eyes. Emma was crouching in the corner, squeezing tight to a blanket. Regina stepped forward and the little girl pulled the blanket up, hiding her face.

Regina crouched down, and realized that it was Emma's white baby blanket the child was clutching. Henry had wanted to keep it, because he knew it had been special to her. For the first couple months following Emma's death, Henry had slept with it on his bed. A couple weeks ago, he had folded it up neatly and placed it on a low shelf in his closet. Regina had thought that must mean he was making progress in the grieving process, and healing.

Regina was sure it couldn't just be a coincidence that this little blonde-haired child with Emma Swan's eyes, had just happened to grab Emma's blanket.

"Emma?" she asked, tentatively.

Emma slowly lowered the blanket, big green eyes meeting Regina's again.

A small smile started to spread across Regina's lips. "It is you, isn't it?"

Emma didn't respond, and Regina searched her eyes for any clue. She knew she couldn't tell Henry, not until she knew for sure. She wasn't even sure how it was possible, but everything inside her told her this child was Emma Swan, somehow.

"It's alright, Little One," she said, finally. "You don't have to be scared. I'm going to figure this all out, I promise."

Regina reached out her hand slowly, and softly stroked Emma's cheek. "Do you think you can come back out now, Little One?" she asked. "Sherriff Nolan left, it's just you, me and Henry now, like before."

Emma slowly crawled out from her little hiding spot, never taking her eyes off Regina. Regina took her hand, and led her back down the stairs. Emma stayed a little behind her, peeking around her legs, no doubt making sure the Sherriff was really gone.

Regina put her back in her booster chair, where Emma picked at the rest of her dinner, not really eating very much, despite Regina's gentle prompting.

"I think she's too upset to eat," Henry commented, looking at the child with concern.

"I know," Regina nodded. She wished she knew how to break through to the little girl, and figure out what in the hell was going on.

"Maybe a movie might make her feel better?" Henry suggested.

Emma didn't seem to react to the suggestion, but Regina agreed. She let Emma down from her chair, and brought her into the living room with Henry, where he picked out a movie to put on. Emma crawled up onto the couch, watching him intently, as Regina went to clear the dishes and clean up from dinner.

For the first time since Emma had killed Rumple, Regina actually wished he were still around. He would know if this sort of reincarnation was even remotely possible. She considered the idea that she could go to the Blue Fairy about it, but she didn't want to suffer the embarrassment if she was way off-base with her theory. She knew this was one she was going to have to figure out on her own.

When Regina returned to the living room, she was surprised that of all movies Henry could have chosen, he put on _Annie_. Emma was standing, just inches from the TV, with her head cocked slightly to the side, in apparent confusion.

"Sweetheart, don't stand too close to the TV. You'll hurt your eyes," Regina warned. Emma turned back to glance at her, and then returned to staring at the TV, without moving back.

"Henry, why would you pick this movie?" Regina asked, thinking it was slightly inappropriate to put on a movie about orphans for a child who very well could be one herself. She remembered Emma once commenting how much she hated this movie, and as Carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan strutted drunkenly across the screen, Regina had to wonder if this rang true to the various group homes Emma had been in.

"I thought she might like the singing," Henry shrugged.

Regina and Henry watched as Emma started tapping her finger on the TV screen. She looked back at them for a moment, with a troubled look on her face, and turned back to the TV, tapping harder on the dancing orphans singing about their hard-knock life. Regina wondered if perhaps she had never seen a TV before.

"What is she doing?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Regina shook her head, watching Emma. If she didn't know better, she would swear the child was trying to get Little Orphan Annie's attention, through the screen. "Henry, where exactly did you find her?"

"In the forest, by the well. The one that…" Henry let his voice trail off, but Regina knew exactly which well he meant.

"Do you go there often?" she asked softly, turning back to her son.

Henry shrugged. "Sometimes… I go there, and I think about the time she came back to me."

Regina sighed. Since Emma's death, Henry never referred to her by name, never even said 'my mom'. It was always just 'she' or 'her'. Archie warned her that it was a sign that Henry was still stuck in the denial phase, but Regina knew better than to push him to talk about her, if he wasn't ready.

"That well was once a portal," Regina said, looking back at Emma again.

Henry nodded, following her train of thought. "You think she came through it?"

"It's possible. She had snowbells in her hair."

"So?" Henry asked.

"Have you ever seen snowbells in Storybrooke?"

Henry thought for a second, and realized that he hadn't. "No," he shook his head.

"They don't grow here. They grow in this world, but not in Storybrooke. She couldn't have come from any place else, here, because she couldn't have crossed the town line; Storybrooke is still invisible to outsiders. But snowbells also grow in the Enchanted Forest."

"If she's from there, it would explain why she's confused by the TV, and why she was afraid of the camera flash," Henry nodded.

"And why no one has reported a missing child," Regina added.

"I didn't think there was anyone left in the Enchanted Forest. I thought everyone came over with the last curse?

"I thought everyone came over with the first curse," Regina shrugged. "It's a big place. People escaped the first time, we have to assume that people could have escaped the second time, too."

"When I asked her where she lived, she pointed at the well," Henry said. "I thought she meant she lived in the forest, but maybe she was telling me she came through the well."

"We need to figure out how to get her to talk," Regina said, as Emma turned to look back at them again. She walked back towards the couch, pouting, apparently giving up on the reaching the tiny people behind the screen.

Emma climbed onto the couch, squeezing herself between Regina and Henry, scowling at the TV.

"Turn it off, Henry," Regina nodded toward the TV. Henry did so, and Emma seemed to visibly relax when the screen went black. She yawned and leaned against Regina. "I think someone's sleepy," Regina smiled down at her.

Emma reached up and started playing with the sleeve of Regina's shirt, which took her a little aback. Henry used to do the same thing when he was tired. Regina put her arm around Emma and started rubbing her back, the way she had done with Henry when he was a child. Emma's eyelids started to droop.

Regina waited until the child was completely asleep, before picking her up to carry her upstairs. She didn't want to incite another melt down. She considered for a moment laying her down in her own bed, so she could be near her in the night, in case anything happened, but decided that might not be the most appropriate choice with a child she didn't really know. She had to keep reminded herself, that even if this really was Emma Swan, she probably didn't have any memories of Regina, Henry, or Storybrooke, at this age.

Regina layed Emma down in the big bed in the guest bedroom, and tucked her in. She left the hall light on, and left the door open, so the room wasn't dark.

Before leaving the room, Regina sat on the bed and stroked Emma's soft blonde curls for a while. Though the child had been filthy when Henry brought her home, she could tell that she had been well-cared for, at one point. She wondered if she had a family in the Enchanted Forest, desperately searching for their lost little angel, and it made her heart hurt. She wished her magic was strong enough to allow her to look through realms, as Emma's had been.

When Regina finally went to bed herself, she left her own bedroom door open as well, so she could hear if the little girl needed her in the night.

After a few short hours of sleep, she awoke to the sound of muffled whimpering, coming from the guest bedroom. She got up and peeked into the room. Emma was crying softly in her sleep. In the hallway, she noticed the light flickering a little, and wondered if that was another clue to this child's true identity. It looked a lot like magic, to her.

Regina went in and sat back down on the bed, and gently shook Emma's shoulders. Emma's eyes flew open, and she backed away quickly, pulling her knees to her chest as she stared at Regina through those big, watery eyes.

"It's ok, Little One," Regina said, maintaining her distance from the clearly distraught child. "You were having a dream. It's alright."

Emma looked around the room, and then back at Regina. She dropped her knees, and scooted a little closer, still sniffling from crying.

"Are you scared?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, hugging her arms around herself, as she moved a little closer.

"Do you want me to stay with you, until you fall asleep again?" Regina asked, reaching her hand out to lightly brush Emma's hair away from her face. Emma flinched a little, but relaxed almost instantly, as she nodded again.

Regina tucked Emma back in under the covers, before laying down beside her, on top of the blankets. She stroked Emma's curls as the child closed her eyes again. Regina stayed where she was, watching Emma sleep, long after the child had drifted off again.

"Emma," Regina whispered to the sleeping child, "if that's you in there, please help me figure this out. Henry needs you back."

In the morning, Regina woke to something rustling beside her. It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen asleep in the guest bedroom next to the little blonde, who was now wide awake, and staring at her.

"Good morning, Little One," Regina said, still half-asleep. "What am I going to put you in?"

Henry had brought the whole box of old clothes marked "size 4" into the guest bedroom when Regina was bathing Emma the night before. Regina went over and opened the box, finding a pair of overalls and a plain white shirt.

"This will work for now," she commented, turning back to the child who was watching her intently. "But we'll need to get you some clothes of your own."

Regina helped Emma changed into the clothes, before putting her blonde hair into two braided pigtails. She couldn't help but notice how adorable she was, and a fleeting thought crossed her mind that she hoped they wouldn't find her parents, and Regina could keep her. As soon as she thought it, she immediately hated herself for it, and brushed the idea out of her mind.

"Shall we get breakfast?" she asked, smiling at the child. She was getting used to never getting a response, but she kept talking in the hopes that one of these times, she would. She took Emma by the hand, and led her down the stairs, where Henry was already sitting at the kitchen island. He hadn't been up this early on a weekend in months, and the sight of his smile when she entered the kitchen melted Regina's heart. Even if this little girl wasn't the Savior incarnate, Regina noted that having her here was still having a positive effect on Henry.

Regina made French toast for breakfast, and smiled when Emma's eyes lit up, as she put them in front of her.

"Mom, can I take Hope outside to play after breakfast?" Henry asked.

Regina watched Emma scrunch up her face at that name, again. "Henry, I _really_ don't think she likes that name," Regina laughed.

"Well, we need to call her something. You can't just call her 'Little One' forever," Henry teased.

Regina sighed. "Henry, she's been here less than twenty-four hours, please don't get too attached, okay? I'm not going to call her 'Little One' forever, because she's not going to be here forever." Regina hated watching Henry's smile fade, but she also knew how devastating it would be for him to lose another person he had become close to, at this point. This boy had already lost so many people in his life.

"I know, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, she needs a name," Henry said.

"And she has one. Eventually she will tell us, okay?" Regina replied.

Henry nodded, and looked back at Emma, who was watching him silently. "So can I take her in the backyard to play?" he asked again.

"I think that would be good," Regina smiled, "just keep an eye on her. Remember, she's little."

"I will," Henry promised. "Do you want to come outside, _Little One_?" Henry asked. Emma's smiled and nodded. Henry got up and helped her out of the booster chair, leading her toward the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard.

"Leave the door open, Henry. Let some fresh air in," Regina called after him. She really just wanted to be able to hear them outside, but she didn't want Henry to think she was hovering.

Henry nodded, and did as he was asked.

Regina started clearing the dishes, as she heard her phone ring from the other room. When she went to grab it, she say David's number appear on the screen. Her heart sank a little, expecting the inevitable call saying they had located the child's parents.

"Hello?" Regina asked.

_"Hey, I just wanted to check in, and see if you had any success getting the little girl to talk?"_ David said.

Regina sighed in relief, and instantly berated herself in her own head for being relieved. "No, not a word." She replied. She decided it was best to keep the 'Emma-thing' from the Charmings as well, until she had something solid to go on. There was no point in getting everyone's hopes up, if it was to lead to more inevitable heartbreak down the line.

_"Ok. I showed her picture around a bit last night, and we got nothing. Mary Margaret said there are no kids unaccounted for from the school, but that little girl looks like she might be too young to be registered in school anyway. Are you still good to keep watching her, for the time being?"_

"Yes, absolutely," Regina replied, trying not to sound too eager. "Henry's enjoying having her here. She's keeping him… distracted." She knew David would know what she meant by that, without her bringing up his dead daughter's name into the conversation. Regina always tip-toed around the subject of Emma with the Charmings, knowing that even though she didn't cause Emma's death, she did cause them to loose twenty eight years of time with their daughter.

_"Ok, good. I'll be in touch. Call me if you get anything out of her, ok?"_ David responded.

"David, there is something," Regina said. "Henry found her by that well in the forest, the one that returns things once lost. I think we need to consider the possibility that she came through there, from another realm."

David paused for a moment, before responding. "_Ok, let me talk to Blue about that, and see what she thinks. I'll call you later."_

Regina sighed as she hung up the phone. She really wasn't particularly interested in Blue's input into any of this, but she supposed she didn't really have any other choice in the matter.

"Gina?" she suddenly heard an unfamiliar little voice call from the other room. She hurried over, and found Emma standing in the door way, her face stricken with panic.

"Sweetheart what's wrong?" she asked, crouching down in front of her.

"Henny," Emma said, sniffling, pointing through the open door. Regina looked past her, to where Henry laid, unconscious, on the grass.

"Oh, my God!" Regina cried, standing up and running to the backyard. "Henry!" She fell to her knees in front of him, shaking him. He didn't respond. She tried not to panic, as she waved one hand slowly over his head, a purple aura of magic spreading from her fingers.

Moments later, Henry opened his eyes, and Regina breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She helped him sit up, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Henry, what happened?"

Henry pulled away, and looked up at the patio, where Emma stood. "We were just playing, and… Mom, she has magic. I'm sure she didn't mean it, but she knocked me out."

Regina turned back to look at Emma, who looked more terrified than ever as she stared back at them. Regina stood to help Henry up.

"Mom, I'm fine," Henry insisted, "really."

Regina gave him a small smile, and turned back to Emma again, who chose that moment to take off running back into the house.

"Emma!" Regina called out, no thinking.

"Mom?" Henry asked. Regina cringed. "What's going on? Why did you call her… that?"

Regina turned back to Henry. "Henry, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I don't even know if it's possible, but I have a feeling…." Regina's voice trailed off. How could she tell her grief-stricken son that she thought this child was his deceased other mother? It sounded too insane to say out loud.

"You think it's her?" Henry asked, his voice barely whisper.

"Henry, I don't know. It doesn't make any sense, but still… I didn't want to tell you, because I'm probably wrong."

"I don't think you are," Henry said. "She has her eyes. And she came back to me through that well once before."

Regina sighed. This is exactly what she didn't want to happen. "Henry, listen to me: I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? And _please_, you need to keep this between us, until we figure it out."

Henry nodded, "I will Mom. I promise."

"I need to go find her. Are you going to be okay?" Regina asked, placing her hands on her son's shoulders, and looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. I swear."

Regina gave Henry another quick hug, before heading inside to look for the missing little girl. She wasn't hard to find, Regina just had to follow the flickering lights down the hallway upstairs. She saw the lights flickering inside her own bedroom, and figured Emma must be in there.

On a cursory glance around the room, she saw a little foot sticking out from under her bed. She dropped to the floor and looked underneath, and she was met by big, scared eyes.

"Hey, there, Little One," she said, softly.

Emma whimpered in response, and Regina could see tears building up in her eyes.

"It's ok, Sweetheart. Henry's fine. Everything is alright. You can come out."

"Are you mad?" Emma whispered.

Regina smiled, relieved that the little girl was finally talking. "No, Sweetheart, I'm not mad. It was an accident. Can I tell you a secret?"

Emma nodded, and crawled a little closer.

"I have magic, too," Regina said, holding up her hand and letting soft flickers of purple haze drift up from her fingertips.

Emma smiled.

"And I know it can feel hard to control magic when you're little, but I can help you," Regina assured her. "Do you want to come out from under there?"

Emma nodded, and Regina moved back to give her room to crawl out. Regina sat up, and Emma fell onto her lap, wrapping her little arms around Regina's waist, and resting her head on her abdomen.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief, as she rubbed her back softly. "It's going to be okay, Little One. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

When Regina finally convinced Emma to come back downstairs with them, they found Henry in the living room, playing his video game. Emma stared at the screen in confusion, as she had at the movie the night before. It was some sort of fighting game, and there was a big ogre-like character on the screen. Regina noticed Emma raise her hands, and she knew immediately the child was about to blast the screen with magic.

"Little One!" she said, grabbing Emma's hand and spinning her back to face her, as she dropped down to a crouch in front of her.

"Hey!" she heard Henry protest, as she turned off the game with a flick of her wrist. She shot him a look, and he realized it was better to remain quiet on this one.

"What do you say we go in to town and get you some new clothes?" she said, returning her attention to Emma.

Emma looked slightly confused, but she nodded anyway, and turned to look at Henry.

"You want Henry to come too?" Regina asked, realizing that Emma had slipped back into silent mode.

Emma nodded and smiled. She wondered if that was meant to be some sort of silent apology for knocking him out earlier. If it was, Henry seemed to accept, as she got up to head toward the door. _Of course he accepts_, Regina thought to herself_, he thinks this is his dead mother._

"She needs a car seat," Regina said out loud, to herself, as they neared her Mercedes. She Henry's had long since expired, and been thrown out, so she waved her hand and created one in the backseat. Emma noticed the flash of purple, and looked up at Regina, questioningly. "It's ok, Little One. I did that one."

Emma nodded, and seemed to accept that, but she froze in spot as Henry opened the car door. It seemed to occur to the child then for the first time, that they expected her to get inside this thing.

Regina sighed. "She doesn't know what a car is."

"It's just a car, look!" Henry said, as he climbed into the passenger side door to show Emma it was safe. Regina appreciated this attempt, but she had to laugh a little that he thought telling Emma 'it's just a car' would offer her any comfort, when the word was clearly foreign to her.

"Little One," Regina stared, kneeling down to meet her at eye level again. "Do you usually go from place to place in a carriage pulled by a horse?"

Emma cocked her head to the side.

"Or maybe you walk?" Regina suggested, to which Emma nodded. "Ok, you walk. But you've seen the carriages I'm talking about, yes?"

Emma seemed to think, and then she nodded again, with a small smile. Regina was more convinced than ever that this child had come from the Enchanted Forest, somehow.

"Ok, good," Regina smiled. "Well, this car is kind of like those carriages, only without horses. We sit inside, and it takes us where we want to go. But you don't need to be afraid, because it's not scary, and I'm never going to let anything hurt you, ok?"

Emma nodded again, and looked at the car. She still seemed a little unsure, but she started to make her way toward the open door anyway.

Regina followed her and lifted her into the car seat she had created, securely fasted in the middle of the backseat, and strapped her in. For her part, Emma looked utterly perplexed about the whole thing. Regina smiled. "It's called a car seat. It keeps little ones safe in the car."

Emma seemed to accept that answer, and her eyes grew wide as Regina put the car in reverse and headed down the driveway. She turned and stared out the window with a kind of wonder that made Regina smile, and Henry grin from ear to ear.

"I think you're right about the Enchanted Forest," Henry commented.

"I know I'm right about that much," Regina replied. It was just the rest she was unsure of.

After a few minutes of driving, they pulled up in front of a children's clothing store. Henry groaned, and Regina laughed. "I said we were going to get her clothes," Regina reminded him.

"I know," he sighed. "Can we at least go for I-C-E C-R-E-A-M when we're done?"

"We'll see," Regina replied. Henry knew that usually meant no, but the glint in Regina's eyes told him that perhaps this time, it meant yes.

Regina helped Emma out of the car, and led her inside by the hand. Henry looked bored the second they walked into the store, but Regina pretended not to notice how he was rolling his eyes. In a way, it was nice to see this side of him back, even if this was the side that annoyed her to no end in the past.

"Do you see anything you like?" Regina asked, looking down at Emma. Emma, for her part, was just trying to take it all in. This whole thing was foreign to her. Regina wondered what the odds were this store sold toddler skinny jeans and red leather jackets in a child's size four.

"Who's this little one?" Rosa, the store clerk, asked, as she came around the corner.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Regina replied, not really thinking.

"Oh! This is the little girl that was lost in the woods!" Rosa exclaimed. Apparently David had been very diligent getting the word out around Storybrooke.

Emma gazed up at Rosa's deep caramel eyes, as she clung tightly to Regina's hand.

"It's ok, Little One. Rosa won't hurt you," Regina assured her. "She needs some clothes," Regina said, turning her attention back to Rosa.

"Of course," Rosa smiled, her eyes twinkling. Emma seemed to relax a little, to Regina's relief.

They were in the store for about an hour, picking out way too many clothes. Mostly pink, and dresses and skirts, which seemed to be the choices that Emma was gravitating towards, to Regina's surprise. She had to keep reminding herself that this child, even if she _was_ Emma Swan, was not the Emma Swan she knew.

Henry had taken up residence on a chair in the back of the store, near the fitting rooms. He looked like he was nearly asleep when Regina and Emma came back to retrieve him, Regina's arms overflowing with bags.

"Seriously, Mom?" Henry asked, looking at the bags. He gave her a look that she instantly recognized as reminding her that Emma might not be with them for long… and she had just bought her a wardrobe worth of clothes. Regina couldn't help going overboard though. She had done the same with Henry when he was little, too.

Regina just smiled and shrugged, as she handed off a couple bags for Henry to carry. Henry noticed that Emma was still wearing one of the pretty new outfits – a purple shirt over a pink and white striped dress, and pink leggings – and he figured that Regina must have just ripped the tags off to pay for it, instead of forcing Emma back into his old hand-me-downs.

Regina opened the trunk when they got back outside, so they could load the bags of clothes in.

"What do you say?" Henry asked, motioning towards the ice cream parlour across the street.

Regina looked down at Emma, who was staring back at her, uncertain about what was supposed to happen next. The child was so far out of her element, it hurt Regina's heart.

"Yes," Regina agreed, as she shut the trunk. "Come along, Little One, we're going to go get a special treat!"

Emma grabbed onto Regina's hand as they crossed the road to the ice cream parlour. Emma's eyes were wide as she stared into the window, before they actually stepped inside. There was no ice cream in the Enchanted Forest, Regina recalled.

Emma jumped when the bell chimed as they opened the door. "It's ok, Sweetheart. It's just a bell," Regina assured her. Looking down at the child, she knew they better made this the last stop, as Emma was getting a little too jittery for her liking. She didn't need another magical mishap, like they had had earlier that morning.

Regina lifted Emma up so she could see the ice cream flavours – not that she had any idea what she was looking at – and Emma immediately pointed to the pink one.

"She'll have strawberry," Regina said to the young lady working behind the counter. She didn't recognize the teenager. Now that children could actually grow up in Storybrooke, Regina found she sometimes had a hard time telling them apart as easily as she once did.

Henry ordered his double scoop Chunky Monkey with sprinkles, and Regina just shook her head. Regina carried Emma's little cone back to the table, and handed it to her when she sat down. Emma stared at Henry, trying to figure out exactly what she was supposed to do with this frozen concoction.

"You just lick it," Henry said, showing her.

Emma stared at her cone for a moment, and finally decided to give it a try. A big grin washed over her face as soon as she tasted it.

"I think she likes it," Henry commented.

"I think you're right," Regina replied, looking down at the child whose face was quickly becoming smeared in pink.

_Her table manners are atrocious_, Regina thought to herself, _that's another tick in the Emma Swan category_. She had been keeping a mental checklist of every clue that supported her theory, but even she thought this one might be a little unfair. Emma did eat like a child, but this girl was an _actual_ child… perhaps the comparison was a little biased.

"Stay with Henry for a moment," Regina said to Emma, once she had finished demolishing her ice cream. She went back up to the counter to get a wet cloth from the clerk. She returned and started to wipe Emma's face. Emma tried to squirm away from her.

"Sweetheart, I need to clean your face," Regina said, gently. Perhaps she didn't _need_ to, but she wasn't about to be walking around town with a child covered in ice cream.

Emma pouted and the light above her began to flicker.

"Little One," Regina said, softly but firmly, "please let me clean you face, and then we can go home."

Emma nodded and the light returned to normal. Regina shot a quick glance back at the clerk, who didn't seem to notice, as she was too busy texting to be paying attention. She turned her attention back to Emma, and proceeded to wipe the rest of the melted ice cream off her face.

"See? All done. Isn't that better?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, and it occurred to Regina then that perhaps if this was really Miss Swan, maybe it wasn't too late to teach her some basic manners. She scolded herself for thinking that way, and shook the idea out of her head. If this was Miss Swan, she should just be grateful that her son's other mother wasn't dead, not worried about how she could make her more likable.

"Come along, then, let's go home," Regina said, extending her hand to Emma, who grabbed it right away, and followed Regina out the door.

"Why is she still with you?"

Regina looked up to see Blue quickly approaching. "Excuse me?" she asked. Emma clung tightly to her legs as the fairy approached.

Before Blue could speak again, they heard a noise from above, and the sign above the door of the ice cream parlour started to shake. Regina grabbed Emma and stepped back quickly, pushing Henry back as the sign fell, nearly striking Blue on the head.

Blue stared with wide eyes, and Regina looked at Emma, who looked terrified.

"Regina, this isn't right," Blue warned.

"You're scaring her," Regina replied, taking a few more steps back, as townsfolk started clambering over to see what was going on. Street lights were flickering and power lines were sparking.

"Sweetheart, it's ok," Regina said, trying to calm Emma down.

"We need to get her out of here," Henry insisted, grabbing Regina's arm. Regina nodded, and without any more hesitation, she waved her hands and poofed the three of them back to the car, in a cloud of purple smoke. She figured Blue could deal with the fallen sign, her first priority was the terrified little blonde she was responsible for.

Emma was crying as Regina turned back to strap her into her car seat. "It's okay, Little One, we're going to take you home now. You don't have to be scared."

Emma pursed her mouth shut and nodded, as she wiped tears from her cheeks with her little hands.

"What was that about?" Henry asked, as Regina put her car in drive and headed off down the street.

"I have no idea," Regina admitted. She glanced in the rearview mirror back at Emma, who was pouting as she stared back at her. _Blue knows something_, Regina thought to herself, _and it would seem that Emma knows Blue._

* * *

Regina's phone went off just as they were entering the house. She dropped the bags of clothes she was carrying and motioned for Henry to take Emma into the other room. It was David.

"Hey," she said in to phone, much more informally than she actually meant to. Her head was all over the place right now.

"_Uh, hey_," David replied. Given Regina the courtesy of pretending not to notice her informality didn't seem to have occurred to him.

"Did you find something?" Regina asked.

_"No, that's not why I called,"_ David replied.

"Then why did you call?" Regina could hear the annoyance in her own voice, before she actually realized just how annoyed she actually was. She had a terrified magical toddler to deal with, she didn't have time for David to beat around the bush.

_"Really, Regina? You have to ask? Let's see, there was the whole nearly decapitating Blue in the middle of the street, and then fleeing the scene thing, or did you forget in the last ten minutes."_

It had never occurred to her that all the witnesses would think she did it. Why wouldn't they? "David," she said, "that wasn't me. It was the little girl. She has magic and it's strong. And unpredictable."

_"Really,"_ David replied, clearly not buying it, _"and you expect me to believe that a preschooler has a vendetta against the Blue Fairy."_

"Did you talk to Blue?" Regina spat back, more than just a little annoyed now.

"_No. She left the scene, too."_

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, I suggest you spend some time looking for her, then, and I will go back to spending _my_ time looking after two children, one of whom does not even belong to me. And by the way, if I wanted to decapitate that pixie, I would have. And I certainly wouldn't have done it in front of my son."

Regina hung up the phone before David had a chance to respond. It wasn't really his fault, she supposed. The vast majority of the people in Storybrooke were still quick to condemn her, and he was the Sheriff, he had to take their complaints seriously. But that was his problem, not hers.

Before she could do anything, she was interrupted again, this time by a knock on the door.

"What now?" she muttered as she opened the door. It was Blue. Regina was not in the mood.

"What?" she said, stepping out onto the porch and shutting the door behind her.

"We need to talk," Blue said simply.

"I suppose we do," Regina replied, with a sigh. "Please inform the dutiful Sheriff that it wasn't me who tried to drop an ice cream parlour sign on your self-righteous head. I wouldn't have missed."

"No, you wouldn't have," Blue agreed, "but I'm not here about that sign, and I think you know that."

"I honestly don't have a clue why you are here, actually."

"Where did you find her?" Blue asked, not wasting any more time.

"I didn't. Henry did."

"By the well?" Blue pressed.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "What do you know about her?"

Blue chose to avoid the question, which was typical of her, especially when dealing with Regina. "What are you trying to pull here, Your Majesty?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Regina retorted. For once, that was actually quite true.

Blue studied Regina for a moment. "You really don't know who she is."

Regina stiffened, as she tried to hide the emotion on her face. Tried and failed, apparently, because Blue cocked her head to the side and asked, "or do you?"

"She has barely said two words since she got here, so if you know something, please enlighten me."

"I don't think I need to," Blue scoffed.

Regina was about done with these games. "Listen, Pixie, if you are trying to insinuate that she is…" Regina's voice trailed off. She hadn't realized that she had almost as hard a time referring to Emma by name as her grieving son did.

"That she is?" Blue pressed, infuriatingly.

"It doesn't matter, because it's preposterous and impossible. She is just a lost little girl, staying with me until we locate her parents. So unless you have something to fill me in on here, then I think it's time for you to leave."

"I know just as much as you do, Your Majesty," Blue replied simply, before turning to leave.

Regina stared after her as she walked off, dumbfounded. Blue never knew just as much as anyone, on anything. She did, however, like to keep pertinent information to herself, especially when it affected Regina.

Regina stepped back into the house, locking the door behind her, and picked up the bags of clothes. She glanced into the livingroom as she passed by, and Emma and Henry were sitting on the floor, with their backs to her, apparently reading a book. Emma seemed completely calm now, so Regina decided to take advantage of that, as she headed up the stairs to the guest bedroom and started unpacking the new clothes into the dresser.

She sighed. She really had bought too much. It wasn't like she could send clothes from this world back to the Enchanted Forest, if and when they found the missing parents. She supposed there was a chance they could convince them to come here. Afterall, this modern world offered much that the Enchanted Forest couldn't. But none of that mattered right now, anyway.

She turned and frowned and the sheets on the bed. In all the panic in the morning, she had forgotten to make it up. She turned and did it now, and then went into her room to make up her own, before heading back down the stairs.

She entered the living room where Henry and Emma were still on the floor, and stepped in front of them to see what they were reading. The Storybook. She should have guessed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Henry?" Regina asked, as she kneeled down in front of them. Henry and Emma both looked up at her, and she had to look away. Their eyes were identical, and it sent a chill down her spine. One more check in the Emma Swan column. Not surprisingly, the 'anyone in the world other than Emma Swan' column didn't have any checks yet. Regina wasn't sure if that really meant something, or if she was letting her wishful thinking delude her.

"I was showing her pictures of the Enchanted Forest," Henry explained. "I thought it might help her tell us where she is from."

"And is it helping?" Regina asked.

Henry shrugged. "Not yet."

Regina watched as Emma continued to flip through the pages. It was pretty clear the child couldn't actually read, but she studied the pictures carefully. Regina shifted uncomfortably when Emma reached the story of when Tinker Bell used the fairy dust to lead her to Robin Hood the first time.

Emma ran her fingers contemplatively over Regina's portrait in the book, and then looked up at her quizzically.

Regina nodded. "That's me," she said, "a very long time ago."

Emma seemed to be turning that information over inside her mind, and she looked like she might finally speak, but she opted not to, and turned back to the book. She flipped the page, and started running her fingers over Tinker Bell's wings.

_What is it about fairies?_ Regina asked herself. Tinker Bell didn't seem to frighten Emma, however, but more so intrigued her.

"She's a fairy," Regina explained. "Her name is Tinker Bell. She's here now, too. Everyone here came over from the Enchanted Forest."

Emma looked up again, her big green eyes studying Regina's, as if she were trying to figure out how that was possible. For her part, Regina didn't particularly want Emma to know now just how that was possible, and she made a mental note to stop her before she reached the pages with the Evil Queen.

Regina was worried about Emma identifying her as the Evil Queen, but she forgot who's image would grace the page, just a few ahead of where Emma was now: the Blue Fairy. Emma gasped when she saw her, and looked up at Regina again, the fear back in her eyes.

"It's ok, Little One," Regina said, calmly, "it's just a picture."

Emma's lip quivered as she looked down again. The Blue Fairy was taking Tinker Bell's wings. It wasn't a pleasant scene, even for someone who didn't already have a strange aversion to the fairy.

"Have you seen her before?" Regina asked, tentatively. "Before today, I mean?"

Emma nodded. Henry was quick to close the book when he saw the lights start to flicker again.

"It's alright, Sweetheart. I'm not going to let her come here, ok?" Regina assured her, reaching out to take her little hand. She wanted to grab onto her and hold her, but she knew that might not end well.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand back, and the flickering subdued.

"Where have you seen her before?" Regina asked. She wasn't sure if she should keep pushing, but she knew they needed to make some headway, some time.

"In the mirror," Emma whispered. Regina knew that the fairies could project themselves onto mirrors with the same magic she used, but she hadn't realized Blue was powerful enough to do it across realms.

"In the mirror, at your home?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded.

"And she frightened you?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "No… I thought she was nice, but she was bad."

"She was bad," Regina repeated. "How was she bad?"

"She told them to send me away, and they did." Emma's voice choked a little on that last bit. She wasn't crying, but she sounded like she might start any moment.

"Your parents?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head, no.

"Who?"

That was about all Emma could take. She reached out for Regina as she started to bawl. Regina grabbed her quickly and pulled her onto the lap, wrapping her arms around her as she started rocking her gently. Henry watched, silent but noticeably perplexed. They finally got some answers, but it only opened a million more questions.

"Shh…" Regina soothed the little girl as she cried, "it ok. You're safe now. I'm not going to let the Blue Fairy come near you, I promise. Henry and I are going to protect you."

Her words seemed to soothe the child, but without having a clue what was actually going on, Regina wasn't sure exactly how she was going to keep that promise.

* * *

After lunch, to Regina's relief, Emma fell asleep on the couch. She had forgotten how tiring a preschooler could be, and that, combined with the rest of the drama of the morning, had Regina ready for a nap, herself.

However, a loud knock on her front door told her it was not meant to be.

"What now?" she muttered to herself, as he begrudgingly made her way to the front door. She had had about enough surprises for one day. She fully expected to see the Blue Fairy's obnoxious and condescending smirk, but to her mild relief, it was David at the door. He was the lesser of two evils, at this point.

"Can I help you, Sheriff?" Regina asked, in a tone that even she thought might have been slightly more callous than necessary.

"I talked to Blue," David began, as he stepped into the house without being invited. "You're off the hook, for the little magic show downtown that is."

"Lucky me," Regina replied, rolling her eyes, "but did that really warrant a trip to my home. You do have my phone number."

"Well, that's not the only reason I'm here."

"Of course it's not," Regina sighed.

"We found this by the old well," David said, holding up a small brass compass.

"A compass? Is this significant?" Regina asked, failing to follow David's train of thought.

"It could be. Mary Margaret said that she and Emma used a compass to get back to Storybrooke through that well. This isn't the same compass, but I had the fairies look at it. It's coated in fairy dust," David explained.

"Mmm, I'm sure that came as a surprise to our good friend Blue," Regina commented, sarcastically.

"Actually, she wasn't there. We found this before I had a chance to speak with her."

"Oh," Regina replied. She wondered if that had happened when Blue had been gracing her with her much unwanted presence on her doorstep. "What did Blue say, when you did talk to her?"

"She said she thinks she knows who the little girl is," David said.

Regina stiffened. "Who is she?" she asked. She tried hide her nervousness, but her voice betrayed her. She started feeling the panic rising in her that perhaps the reason that David had driven to her house was because Blue had revealed that this little lost girl was in fact his lost daughter, and he was here to take her way.

Regina silently chastised herself for thinking like that. How had she grown so attached to this child in such a short time? How had she managed to convince herself that she had any claim on her, either way?

"She wouldn't tell me," David responded.

Regina tried to hide her relief. "Why?"

David shrugged. "She said she's not completely sure, and she wants to verify it before she says anything. She wants to see the girl again."

"Absolutely not," Regina said, and this time the force in her statement was absolutely intentional, and appeared to take David by surprise.

"Why not? If she can help us?" David asked, confused.

"Because that little girl is absolutely terrified of Blue. That's why she tried to drop the sign on her," Regina explained. "I promised her she wouldn't have to see her again."

"Why would she be afraid of the Blue Fairy?" David asked.

Regina shook her head. It amazed her how naïve he could be sometimes. He thought that light magic automatically equaled hero, and therefore Blue was deserving of trust by default, regardless of anything she had done. He seemed blissfully unaware of how fairies liked to meddle into other people's lives whenever they saw fit, whether their help was wanted or not. Above all else, Blue was the puppeteer, deciding whose wishes she deemed worthy of granting, and who she let suffer, their cries for help ignored.

Regina stopped her train of thought. She reminded herself that this wasn't about her own issues with Blue, but that little sleeping blonde in the other room.

"She told me that Blue appeared in the mirror, in her home, and told the people she was staying with to send her away," Regina said, finally.

"She started talking?"

"Only a little. Only when she seems to think it's necessary," Regina said, with a sigh.

"What else did she say?"

"Honestly, not much," Regina admitted.

"Did she give you a name?" David pressed.

"No, not yet."

"Why would Blue tell her family to send her away? This doesn't make sense," David said, trying to piece this new information together.

"I don't think they were her family. They weren't her parents, anyway, that much she confirmed. As for Blue… well, who ever knows why that woman does anything?"

David nodded, clearly not willing to defend the shady fairy right now. Regina heard a stirring from the other room, and a small muffled whimpering.

"You should go," she said, turning to David. She didn't want her expensive light fixtures to start dropping on his head if he scared the child waking up in the other room.

"Okay, I'll be in touch," David said, turning.

_Wonderful_, Regina thought to herself, but she just flashed him a fake smile, before returning to the living room, where Emma was tossing and turning on the couch. Her eyes were still closed, and she was crying in her sleep.

Regina knelt down beside her, and gently shook her awake.

Emma's green eyes shot open, and she blinked against the light in the room, while they adjusted to the sudden change.

"Little One, were you having a bad dream?" Regina asked, softly.

Emma sat up and nodded.

"Can you tell me what it was about?" Regina asked, sitting down beside her, and stroking her blonde curls.

"I'm not sure," Emma whispered.

"What do you remember?" Regina prompted her.

"I was here… but not _here_, not in this place… a place like it with… not lanterns, this kind of light," Emma said, gesturing around at the lamps and sconces in the room. "And that," Emma continued, pointing at the TV.

"You weren't in the Enchanted Forest. You were in a house, in this world?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded.

"And what happened?"

"There were… people… and I called them Mommy and Daddy. And I knew them, but I don't know them. And the Mommy had a big belly. And they said I had to go back. Then I woke up," Emma said, with a shrug.

Regina swallowed hard, and looked over at Henry, who had been silently listening from his spot on the chair the entire time. This dream sounded an awful lot like the first home that Regina new Emma had been in – the one who planned to keep her, until they had a child of their own, and sent her back – and she knew Henry knew it, too.

"It was just a dream, Sweetheart," Regina assured her, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was the best course of action right now. Her head was spinning with a million ideas at once. The thought occurred to her that she better put a big check in the Emma Swan column in her mental checklist, because having Emma's memories was major.

"I don't know where they were going to send me, but I don't want to go there," Emma said, quietly, looking at her feet.

"You don't have to go anywhere, I promise. You can stay with Henry and me until we find your family," Regina said. This was another promise she wasn't sure she could keep. She knew for a fact that if this child really did turn out to be Emma Swan, she would certainly lose her to the Charmings in a heartbeat.

She knew that was simply the way it would have to be. She didn't have a real reason to keep Emma, other than she wanted to. She could kid herself that it was all about Emma feeling safe with her, but she could also learn to feel safe with her parents, too.

But then there was Henry. His thoughts and feelings would need to be accounted for in all of this, as well. If this child truly was Emma Swan, he would most certainly want to be with her. And if she was with her parents… well, Regina wasn't ready to lose him again, too.

Regina sighed. She knew she was getting ahead of herself. These issues could be dealt with if and when they arose. There was no point struggling with the 'what ifs'.

"I want Henny to read to me again," Emma said suddenly, eyeing the storybook on the table.

Henry smiled and grabbed it, quickly coming over to sit with her. Regina loved seeing his truly genuine smile again. It had been so long.

"Can you watch her, for a while?" she asked. "I really need to lie down." Regina's head was starting to pound with a tension headache.

"Yeah, for sure," Henry grinned.

"And don't answer the door if anyone comes here," Regina said, as she stood up. "We've had enough excitement for one day."

Regina patted Emma's blonde curls as she turned to leave the room. She had meant to lie down for half an hour at most, but when she opened her eyes again, two hours had passed. The house seemed quiet still, and neither child had come running with any emergencies, so she assumed everything was okay as she headed back down the stairs. Or, at least, she hoped it was.

When Regina came downstairs, she found Emma on the floor in the foyer, the storybook open in front of her, and papers and crayons all around her. Henry was sitting, watching her.

"What is she doing?" Regina asked, as she approached them.

"She said she wanted to put her own story in the book," Henry said, with a shrug.

"Really?" Regina said, raising an eyebrow. "Did she tell you her story?"

"She said I can hear it when she's done."

Regina nodded, and watched as Emma coloured fervently on the paper before her, appearing almost manic.

"Little One, you have lots of time," Regina reminded her.

"I need to finish it before I forgot it," Emma replied, without looking up. "I need to remember before my dreams make me forget."

Regina wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but she tucked that away in her mind to bring up again when the child seemed a little calmer. For now, there was a more important question burning in her mind. "Little One, what's your name?" Regina asked, hoping for an answer, finally, since the child seemed to be in a talkative mood today.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't remember what the people you stayed with called you? In the Enchanted Forest?"

"That wasn't my name."

"What did they call you?"

"Perdita," Emma replied, scrunching up her nose.

"Oh," Regina nodded, and breathed a small sigh.

"What is it?" Henry asked, noticing his mother's reaction to that name.

"Perdita… It means 'lost girl'," Regina explained.

"They would say Perdy," Emma continued, looking down at her drawings, "but I didn't like that name. I liked the name you called me."

"Hope?" Henry asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, the name _you_ called me," she repeated, looking at Regina.

"Emma," Regina said, quietly.

Emma smiled. "Yes. I like that name. That's the name I hear in my dreams."

Regina and Henry shared a quick, knowing look. _Another check in the Emma Swan column_, Regina thought to herself, though she didn't really think keeping the tally was even necessary anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Regina and Henry watched as Emma finished up the last picture in her little story. She sat back on her heels, apparently satisfied, admiring her work. It was all pictures and no words, which didn't surprise Regina, because the child looked like she was too young to write.

"Finished!" Emma declared, looking up at them.

"So can you tell us your story now?" Henry asked.

Emma looked at him, confused. "It's right here," she said pointing at the pictures.

"But maybe you could tell it to us, anyway," Regina suggested, "like how Henry read you stories from his book."

Emma nodded. "Ok," she said, pulling out the first page. "This is the flower garden, where the fairy found me. I was a baby and I was all alone and sad. I don't remember, but that's what she told me. I was crying, and I was naked," she said, with an innocent giggle.

"Then what happened?" Henry prompted.

Emma turned to the next page, which depicted a figure in yellow, with wings. "The fairy looked all around, but there was no one there. So she turned big, and picked me up and took me to a house. She named me Perdita, because I was a little lost girl," Emma said, scrunching her nose.

"What was the fairy's name?" Regina asked.

Emma looked at her like that was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. "Yellow?" she said, pointing at the yellow figure in her drawing.

"Of course," Regina said. She should have known.

"So the Yellow Fairy took care of me, and some other fairies came sometimes. They taught me to walk and talk and tried to show me how to do magic, but I was bad at it. I broke lots of things and they didn't like that," Emma sighed, turning to a page with several unhappy looking faces on it.

"And one night, when they thought I was asleep, I sneaked down and listened to them talking. And the Yellow Fairy said there was something wrong with me. She used magic on the mirror and that's when…." Emma's voice trailed off, as she looked at her own picture of a blue figure and shuddered.

"That's when the Blue Fairy appeared?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. _Well, that explains how she found out about her_, Regina thought to herself.

"I watched the Blue Fairy in the mirror and I thought she looked nice, but she didn't look like a fairy. She had no wings and weird clothes, like the clothes I saw her in today," Emma explained, "I couldn't hear what all the fairies were saying about me, but the Blue Fairy told them to bring me to the mirror, and they did, and she said 'I think I know who she is'."

Emma flipped over to a page with a picture of a lake. "So the Blue Fairy said that the Yellow Fairy had to put a spell on a compass, and drop me into a lake, and I would find my way home. I was scared and I didn't want to go, but the Yellow Fairy said I had to. She said I had to go to the land without magic, and I would be safe there."

"So the Yellow Fairy gave me the compass and told me to be brave, and she dropped me into the lake," Emma continued. "And when I came out, I was in a forest. She said I would find my way home, but I was all alone, until Henny came."

"How long were you alone?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. But the fairy lied. This land has magic. She sent me to the wrong place."

"No, she didn't," Henry insisted.

Emma looked at him. "But I didn't find my home."

"We're going to help you do that," Regina said. "But tell me, Sweetheart, what did the Yellow Fairy think was wrong with you? Why did she call the Blue Fairy?"

Emma shrugged. "She never said. She just said I wasn't normal, and I didn't belong there."

Regina watched as Emma slowly gathered up the pages of her story. It occurred to her then, that if she was right about who this child actually was, then her story was really repeating itself. A baby, lost and alone, taken in by strangers who eventually tossed her away. Regina knew she caused that the first time around, but this time… this time she had the chance to be on the other side. She had the chance to help this little girl, instead of condemning her. She didn't take that lightly.

"I'm hungry," Emma said, suddenly.

Regina looked at her watch. "I suppose it's time to make dinner," she said. She wanted to ask Emma about her earlier comment, about her dreams making her forget, but she supposed that could wait, for now.

"Come on, Emma, we can watch a movie while my Mom gets dinner ready," Henry suggested, as he helped Emma pick up the crayons. Regina's heart skipped a beat when she heard Emma's name pass Henry's lips. She was sure that was the first time he had said it since Emma died, and she was worried about what would happen if after all of this, they were wrong about who this child was.

At least she now knew that there was little chance anyone was looking for this girl, if her story was true that her caregivers tossed her through to another realm. She didn't see any reason not to believe it, since David had found the compass, and Emma didn't know about that.

"So, we're convinced it's her now, right?" Henry said, startling Regina, as he entered the kitchen.

"I thought you were watching a movie?" Regina asked.

"I put one on for her. She seemed less disturbed by it this time. She's just sitting on the couch, watching it. It's strange… it's like she gets what TV is now."

"That is strange," Regina agreed, "but Henry… I still don't want you jumping to conclusions. We still could be wrong, and you're going to be heartbroken all over again if we are."

"But mom, you heard what she was saying about her dream… that was her first family. She was talking about the Swans. She even said they called her Emma," he insisted.

"Henry," Regina cautioned.

"Mom," Henry interrupted, before she could continue. "You said this morning you saw it, too. Everything is pointing to the same conclusion. Why are you still so unsure?"

"We're you not listening? She just told us a story that started with her being a baby. She is now at least three, maybe older… Emma has only been gone four months. It's not possible."

"Then how else do you explain a child, who happens to look _just_ like her, coming through the same well, and having the same memories and the same name?"

"We don't know for sure those are the same memories, we're just assuming they are. And I called her that name, twice. That's how she got it in her head," Regina insisted. She knew Henry was right, and all the signs pointed to the child being Emma, but she had to play devil's advocate anyway, just in case. For all she knew, David could call any second telling her he had found a couple who had lost their little blonde haired girl with an over-active imagination yesterday, and Henry would be devastated all over again.

Henry sighed. "I don't think you even believe that. You're just trying to protect me, and I get it. But it's her."

"Go watch the movie until dinner's ready," Regina replied. She knew if she allowed this conversation to continue, she was likely to start agreeing with him, in spite of herself.

When dinner was ready, and everyone sat down at the table to eat, Regina noticed that Emma was just playing with her food.

"What's wrong, Little One?" she asked. She still wasn't ready to call her Emma.

"Can I really stay here, until you find my family?" Emma asked, not looking up.

"Of course, Little One," Regina said with a smile.

"And what if you don't find my family?" she asked, her green eyes turning to meet Regina's this time.

Regina swallowed hard, thinking about how exactly to answer that. She fought the urge to say if that were the case, she could stay there forever. "We will find them," she said.

Emma blinked at her a few times, clearly not having much confidence in that statement. "I like it here," she said, finally.

"And we like having you here," Regina replied. "And we'll still be your friends, even when we find your family, so you don't have to worry."

Emma seemed to relax at that, and turned to begin eating her food. Henry grinned and Regina knew what he was thinking. If they were right, Emma's family wasn't far. One of them was sitting across from her right now.

After dinner and a bath, Regina helped Emma change into one of the new nightgowns she had bought her that morning. That seemed so long ago now, so much had happened that day. It seemed hard for her to believe that Emma had only been there just over twenty four hours. It seemed much, much longer.

"Will you stay with me until I go to sleep?" Emma asked, as Regina tucked her into bed.

"Of course, Little One," Regina said, climbing in to bed beside her.

"Last night you slept here," Emma observed.

"I know, because you had a bad dream."

"If I have another bad dream, will you come back?" Emma asked.

"Yes, Sweetheart. You have nothing to worry about," Regina said, stroking her blonde curls.

"Okay," Emma agreed, putting her head on the pillow and curling up next to Regina.

Regina continued to sit with her, long after she went to sleep, processing all the new information they had gotten that day. As much as she hated to admit it, she was fairly sure she needed to speak to Blue again, and make her tell her what she knew. For everyone's sake, she knew the sooner they knew the whole truth, the better.

And yet still, there was still a tiny part of her that hoped she was somehow wrong, and this truly was a lost little girl with no family, that she could keep and love as her own.

And she still hated that part of herself for thinking that.

* * *

Shortly after midnight, Regina was again awoken by the sounds of crying and whimpering coming from Emma's room. She sighed as she threw off her covers and slipped into her robe before heading across the hall. She had forgotten just how exhausting young children could be.

She sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook Emma awake. Emma gasped as her eyes shot open. She sat up quickly and scooted away from Regina, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly, as she stared at Regina with big, scared eyes.

"It's ok, Little One, it was just a dream," Regina said, softly.

"Where am I?" Emma's voice came out, shakily.

"You're at my house, remember?" Regina replied, reaching out to touch Emma's cheek. Emma flinched away from her touch. "What's the matter, Little One?"

"Emma," Emma corrected her.

Regina swallowed, nervously. "Emma," she repeated.

"I wasn't here yesterday," Emma said, looking around the room.

Regina felt a knot growing in her stomach. Something was very wrong. "Yes, you were, Sweetheart. Don't you remember me?"

"Yes," Emma nodded. "You're Gina, but I think I remember being someplace else yesterday."

"Where were you?" Regina asked.

"A different house with different people."

"The people in your dream from before?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head, blonde curls bouncing wildly. "Those people gave me back. These were different people. They still called me the same name, though."

"They called you Emma?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded.

"Lit-Emma, you said earlier, that your dreams were making you forget your story. What did you mean by that?"

"My dreams here are different. They feel real, like they happened for real," Emma shrugged, as if that was something normal.

Regina studied her for a moment, and started to wonder if these really, truly were Emma Swan's memories, returning to her through dreams. She knew she was in way over her head with this. There was so much in the realm of magic that she just didn't understand. She remembered once berating Emma for not taking the time to learn her craft, but it occurred to Regina then that she had really done the same thing. She only really learned what Rumple thought she needed.

She sighed, realizing that she really didn't have much of an option, other than speaking to the Blue Fairy.

"What's wrong, Gina?" Emma asked, apparently noticing the sigh.

"Nothing, Sweetheart. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here."

"Are you sad?"

"No, I'm not sad," Regina said, smiling in an attept to reassure her.

"Are you sure?" Emma pressed.

"Of course, Sweetheart."

"I don't want to make you sad, like I made the Yellow Fairy sad. I made the people in my dream sad, too. I don't want to go away from here," Emma said, playing with the edge of the bedsheet on her lap.

"Emma, I promise you're not making me sad. And I will not send you away. The people who did that... that wasn't your fault, okay Sweetheart? I promise," Regina said, as she gazed into Emma's sad eyes.

Emma nodded. "Okay," she said, though she couldn't have sounded less convinced if she tried. "Will you lay with me again?"

"Yes, of course," Regina said, and she layed back on the bed next to Emma, who curled up close to her.

"Emma, how old are you?" Regina asked, as she started rubbing Emma's back.

Emma thought for a moment. "The people in my dream said I was four. They gave me a cake and said 'blow out the candles, Emma. Make a wish.' And I did. I wished for my Mommy and Daddy to come and get me, but the people just sent me to a home with lots of kids. I guess they didn't want me anymore."

"Well, they were very silly, then, because I don't see how anyone could ever not want you, Emma."

"Do you want me?"

The question stung Regina's heart. She knew she wanted her more than anything, but at the same time, if she really was the real Emma, Regina knew she wouldn't be able to keep her.

"Yes, Emma, I do," Regina said, "but I still need to look for your family. Remember what I told you though, we'll still be friends, even when I do find them."

"Okay," Emma said, with a yawn.

"It's very late, Emma. It's time to go back to sleep."

"I'm scared," Emma said, quietly.

"What are you afraid of, Sweetheart?"

"I'm afraid... that I'll go to another family in my dream and I won't be here anymore."

Regina was quite sure that if she was correct about Emma's memories returning in her sleep, she would absolutely go to another family in her dream. She didn't know much about Emma's upbringing, but the one thing she did know was she moved from home to home quite frequently.

She sighed again. "Emma, even if that happens, I promise you will still wake up here. You don't need to be afraid."

Truthfully, Regina had no idea if Emma should be afraid or not. God only knew what went on in all those homes. She had no way of knowing what nightmare Emma could be heading into anytime she closed her eyes.

"Will you still stay here, even after I fall asleep?" Emma asked. The desperation in her little voice hurt Regina's heart.

"If that will make you feel better," Regina smiled at her.

"It will," Emma yawned again. "Because when I wake up and see you, then I'll know I'm really here."

Regina watched as Emma closed her eyes. It didn't take her long to slip off to sleep. Regina continued to watch her, afraid of what demons were lurking, as if she could somehow ward them off by her sheer will.

It was hours before Regina herself finally fell asleep. It felt like only moments later she was awoken again, by soft breathing against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open to meet Emma's. Emma hovered over her, their faces just inches apart.

"Mmm, what are you doing?" Regina mumbled, still half-asleep.

"I was seeing if you're awake," Emma said, giggling.

"Well, I am now," Regina replied, but she couldn't help but smile.

"Is it time to get up?" Emma asked.

"I hope not," Regina groaned, as she turned to look at the clock. "It's not even 6:30. It's not time to get up, yet."

"But the sun's up!" Emma protested.

"Good for the sun," Regina said, with a small laugh, as she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

Moments later, she felt little hands tickling her back.

"Emma, what?" She asked, assuming the child was trying to get her attention again.

"I'm rubbing your back so you can sleep, like you did to me," Emma explained.

Regina smiled. _Such a sweet little girl, _Regina thought to herself. _Who could have ever sent her back? _She wondered if this was how Emma was at four, or if her current personality was a result of how the fairies had raised her. She supposed it was likely a mix of both. Either way, she couldn't figure out how anyone could have this sweet, innocent babe in their care, and send her back like she was nothing more than an afterthought.

It was not something she had ever thought of before. She imagined that was the root of Emma's insecurity and ever-present self-doubt. She wondered if she would have approached Emma differently, if she had known.

Emma let Regina sleep another hour and a half, before waking her up again just before eight, asking for breakfast.

"Okay, go see if Henry's awake then," Regina said, laughing, as she ushered Emma out of the room. She quickly changed, and headed out into the hallway.

"Henny! Henny!" Regina could hear Emma's little voice. She looked into Henry's room just in time to see Emma leap onto Henry's bed and start jumping on him. She couldn't help but laugh as Henry groaned and rolled over, but Emma wasn't relenting. She had always been like a dog with a bone, and Regina was now seeing that the four-year-old version was just as determined to get what she wanted.

Regina sighed, with a smile, preparing for another long day ahead.

* * *

Once Emma finally got Henry to get out of bed – which was no easy feat, considering how accustomed he was to sleeping in on Sunday Mornings – it was time for breakfast. Emma was still in her nightgown, and she insisted there was no time for Henry to get dressed either. Henry didn't seem to mind, since he was still half asleep, and Regina wondered if he thought perhaps he could slip off back to bed once breakfast was over.

Emma bounded off down the hall and ran toward the stairs.

"Emma!" Regina called after her, "slow down before you fall."

Emma let out a much exaggerated sigh and started down the stairs – not walking, but rather hopping, two feet at a time, from one stair to the next, making sure to pause after each hop and look back at Regina, to illustrate that she was indeed going slower than she could.

"Well, she's certainly full of energy today," Henry commented, with a small smirk.

"At least that makes one of us," Regina replied, though she didn't even try to hide her grin.

"You called her Emma," Henry noted, as he and his mother made their way toward the stairs, which Emma had now hopped halfway down.

"I know," Regina nodded, "she asked me to."

"Is there something else?" Henry asked. It amazed Regina how well he could read her. She knew all too well that she wore her emotions on her face, and her eyes always betrayed her, but there was a time when her son was too young and innocent to pick up on those things.

"She… had another dream, about another family last night. She told me the dreams feel real," Regina sighed, still trying to make sense of this whole thing in her head.

"Do you think it's possible that it's her real memories, coming back to her?" Henry suggested. "Like, she thinks they are dreams, but the things she's dreaming are actually what happened to… my mom?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, actually. It makes sense," she agreed.

"Mom," Henry said, tentatively, stopping at the top of the stairs.

"What, honey?" Regina asked, stopping and turning to him. Emma was now at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at them, tapping her little foot impatiently.

"What's going to happen… if it is her?" Henry asked, in a hushed voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… where will she go? If she's really Emma, won't she have to go live with my grandparents. They're her real parents."

Regina cast a quick glance down to Emma again, and turned back to Henry. "I suppose she would." Her voice came out more timidly than she would have liked. Her emotions were betraying her again.

"But… I want her with me. And I want to be here, with you," Henry said.

"I know. Henry, we'll figure something out, I promise. Remember though, we need to keep this between us, until we know the truth. If we tell your grandparents, and we're wrong, then there's going to be a lot of heartbreak going around; not just yours, but there's and hers," Regina said, looking down at Emma again.

"Gina!" Emma cried out, when she caught Regina's eyes.

Regina smiled. "Patience, Emma," she called down to her.

"Not her strong point," Henry pointed out.

"Nor mine," Regina smiled, as she turned to head down the stairs.

"What shall we have for breakfast?" Regina asked, as she lifted Emma into her booster chair once they had reached the dining room.

"Are you going to cook it?" Emma asked, with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course. Where else would it come from?" Regina answered, a little thrown off by the question.

Emma shrugged. "The last family just bought Happy Meals."

Regina looked at Henry, and then back at Emma. "What on earth is a Happy Meal?"

Emma shrugged again. "It always came with a toy," she said, as if that answered the question. It occurred to Regina that this was an Emma Swan memory, not an Enchanted Forest memory. She might not have known what a Happy Meal was, but she knew for sure there were no meals with toys in the old world. She figured Emma must be talking about fast food, the kind she didn't curse Storybooke to have.

"Well, Little One, we're having a real breakfast today. No toys, just food. I hope that's okay."

"I want pancakes," Henry piped up.

"Okay," Regina nodded, as she headed into the kitchen to make them.

Emma started playing with her silverware as they waited for Regina to make the pancakes. She would place the butter knife on the handle of the fork, and then slam her hand down on the tines, forcing the knife to flip up in the air. Every time it crashed down on the plate, she laughed.

"What are you doing in there?" Regina called from the kitchen.

"Nothing!" Emma yelled back, looking at Henry with a devilish grin. She set her little game up again.

"Don't do it, Emma," Henry cautioned, knowing Regina would be back any moment.

Emma ignored him, and slammed her hand down hard, sending the knife flying in the air. She laughed as it crash landed on the floor beneath her.

"Emma!" Henry said, exasperated, and he got up and retrieved the knife. "You had much better manners yesterday, you know."

"Gimme that," Emma said, holding her hand out for the knife.

"No," Henry replied, "you lost it now." He put the knife down beside his plate, out of her reach.

Emma pouted, and Henry couldn't help but think it was funny that he was now playing parent to his petulant preschool-aged mother.

"Gina!" Emma cried, as Regina came back into the room. "He took my knife!"

"She was being a brat!" Henry insisted, before Regina had a chance to reply.

"Was not! He's lying!" Emma whined.

"Enough, both of you," Regina said. She looked back at forth between Henry and Emma, and was suddenly reminded why she never adopted Henry a sibling.

"But I need my knife!" Emma protested. She didn't seem to understand that Regina was serious when she used that tone of voice.

"No, you don't. I'll cut your pancakes for you," Regina replied, as she handed Henry his plate and began cutting Emma's food for her.

Emma sat and glared across at Henry.

"Why is she acting like this? She was so sweet yesterday," Henry commented.

"Because she's four and she's not getting her way," Regina shrugged, as she handed Emma her plate. Whatever animosity Emma was harbouring against Henry was lost once she had her food. She grabbed her fork and started eating.

"She seems different today," Henry said, quieter.

"I think she is a little different today," Regina said, as she sipped on the coffee she had brought for her own breakfast. "The memories, coming back, she's becoming more herself and less the little girl the fairies raised."

"I don't know if I like that," Henry sighed.

"If I'm right, then this is the real her," Regina shrugged.

"I liked the old her better," Henry insisted.

"Henry… the little girl yesterday was quiet because she was terrified. Trust me, this is better. You'll see," Regina assured him. As wise as he was becoming, she knew there were still things he didn't understand, young children being one of them.

"Done!" Emma announced suddenly, dropping her fork on her plate with a clang. She was grinning, her face covered in sticky maple syrup.

"Emma, we are going to have to have a serious discussion about table manners," Regina said.

"What are table manners?" Emma asked.

"I'll teach you at lunch. I don't have the energy for this right now," Regina replied, standing to go get a wet cloth from the kitchen. When she returned, she wiped Emma's face and hands clean, before releasing her from the straps of the booster chair. She stopped and observed Emma's face for a moment, before she lifted her down. Something was definitely different. Her eyes had a playful glint, and her smile was Emma's impish grin. With the timid shyness all but vanished from her now, all Regina could see was a miniature Emma Swan. She knew no matter what she told herself, the Charmings were bound to see it too, when they looked at her. It was inevitable.

"What can we do today?" Emma asked, hopping around in front of Henry and Regina as they attempted to walk with the dishes to the kitchen.

"Well, my darling, if Henry and I survive this walk to the kitchen without a major casualty caused by tripping over you, then I suppose we could get dressed and go to the park, so you can run off some of this excess energy."

Henry groaned. "I was hoping to get a few more hours of sleep," he admitted.

"I know. I'm tired, too. If we can wear her out, maybe we can all have a nap," Regina suggested, knowing she was going to need one for sure.

"I want you to push me on the swings!" Emma practically squealed, unable to contain her excitement.

"Emma, why don't you go upstairs and pick out something to wear from the clothes I bought you yesterday?" Regina suggested. Emma nodded and took off running. "Walk, Emma!" Regina called after her, to which Emma begrudgingly complied.

"Well, if I didn't see it before, I certainly see it now," Regina commented with a grin, before she realized what she was saying.

"Mom…" Henry said, tentatively. "I know you're worried about everyone who will be hurt if we're wrong about this, but have you thought at all how you'll be hurt if we're right?"

Regina sighed. "I know. I told you not to get attached, and that's exactly what I am doing."

"You spend so much time trying to protect me. You've got to remember to protect yourself, too."

"When did you become so wise?" Regina asked, with half a smile.

"I learned from the best," Henry grinned back at her.

"Go upstairs and get dressed," Regina said, after giving Henry a quick peck on the cheek. "We're going to the park."

Regina was sure the straps on the carseat were the only thing keeping Emma from bouncing off the roof in the car.

"Emma! You act like you've never been out of the house before," Regina said, watching her in the rearview mirror.

"I never been to a park before!" Emma said, excitedly.

"Never?" Henry asked, turning back to the little blonde.

Emma shook her head, curls flying wildly. Regina regretted not tying her hair into a ponytail before they left. "There was one near the house I was in, but it always had broken glass on the ground, from the teenagers. The parents said it wasn't safe."

_The parents_. Regina repeated to herself. She had also heard Emma say 'the Mommy.' She realized that Emma wasn't associating herself with these people. There was no connection, they were just parents, not_her _parents, even when she was with them. It was no wonder to her that once the curse broke, Emma had had a difficult time forging a relationship with her biological parents. Regina had assumed it was the age thing, but she realized, this kid had never really experienced having parents before. The Swans, she supposed, had been parents to her at one point, but when they sent her back, she guessed Emma's perception of what a parent was got a little skewed.

When they arrived and parked, Emma bolted off like a rocket the moment Regina had her unstrapped from the carseat.

"Gina! I want to go on the swings!" Emma yelled from in front of the swingset. There were several kids at the park already, and Regina noticed all their parents staring at her. She knew by now news had gotten around about the lost little blonde living with the mayor, so that wasn't why they were staring. No, she realized, they were watching to see what her reaction would be to the child speaking to her like that. Henry had never been that demanding. Even at four, his manners had been impeccable, something Regina took great pride in.

But she didn't raise Emma, and manners couldn't be taught in a day. She didn't know if anyone had ever attempted to teach her.

"Emma," Regina said softly as she finally caught up to her, "I will push you on the swings if you ask nicely."

Emma seemed to think about that for a moment, and then said "Gina, I want to go on the swings," in the sweetest voice she could muster.

It was all Regina could do to keep from laughing. She could hear Henry chuckling behind her, but she ignored it.

"No, Emma, what I mean is, you have to use your manners. You say, 'Gina, I would like to go on the swings, please.'" Regina explained. She found it odd to call herself Gina, but after hearing it so much from Emma, it just slipped out.

"Gina, I want to go on the swings, PLEASE!" Emma said, laughing as she turned to face the swing set.

"Better," Regina commented, as she lifted Emma up and put her on the swing. "Now, hold on tight," she instructed, as she starting pushing her. Henry grinned and got on the swing next to her. He had long since outgrown the park, but it was nice to see him playing with Emma, smiling and looking more carefree than Regina had seen him in months.

After nearly two hours of swings and slides and monkey bars, Emma was finally starting to slow down. Regina strapped her back in to her seat, and they headed home. Emma was asleep before they even made it in the drive way.

"Nap time?" Henry asked, smiling at Regina. He could see the dark circles from her lack of sleep, even under her eye make-up.

"Oh, yes," Regina laughed. She carried the sleeping Emma upstairs, and was about to put her down in the guest bedroom, when it occurred to her she was probably just going to end up sleeping next to her if she had a nightmare. Her own bed was far more comfortable, so she put Emma down there instead, before crawling in next to her.

She knew she needed to call the Blue Fairy and get some more information on this whole situation, but as her head hit her pillow, she knew it could wait. Not that she needed to do much justification to convince herself _not_ to talk to Blue. But she knew she needed to. Just not right now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

When Regina awoke from her nap, Emma had moved herself so her head was resting on Regina's chest. She thought she was sleeping at first, but then she realized her little hand was idly playing with the edge of the silk bed sheet. Regina put her hand on Emma's back, and Emma turned to look at her. Her eyes were red, and Regina could see she had been crying, though she wasn't anymore.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Regina asked, brushing Emma's hair back from her face.

"I had a bad dream, and you didn't wake up," Emma said, sniffing.

Inwardly, Regina cringed. She knew she was exhausted, but she couldn't believe that she had actually been so tired as to have slept through a child crying beside her. "Baby, I'm sorry," she said. "Next time, if I don't hear you, you shake me until I wake up, okay?"

Emma nodded. "I wanted to listen to your heart, to make sure you were real," Emma said, putting her head back down on Regina's chest.

"Why wouldn't I be real?" Regina asked.

"Because in my dream, I was in a group home. There were lots of kids and I had to share a room with lots of girls and when I had a nightmare, nobody was there, just other kids. Lots of them were crying, too. But no one ever came to help them. When I woke up, I thought that was real, and you were a dream."

"I promise you I'm real, Emma," Regina reassured her.

"Okay," Emma said, not moving her ear from its place above Regina's heart.

"Emma, when you're awake, you remember your dreams. When you're dreaming, do you remember me?"

"No," Emma said, softly.

Regina sighed. Really, she knew there was no way she possibly could remember her in those dreams, since when those events actually happened in Emma's childhood, she hadn't known Regina. It hurt her heart that no matter what she did to reassure Emma in her waking hours, she couldn't save her from the onslaught of sad and lonely childhood memories that were coming at her every time she fell asleep.

"What are we gonna do today, Gina?" Emma asked, suddenly sitting up. Regina forgot how resilient children could be.

"Well, right now we're going to have lunch," Regina said, looking at the clock. They had really slept through lunch, so it was well past time to feed Emma.

"Then what?" Emma asked, bouncing on her knees on the bed.

"Then… I guess we'll see," Regina replied. It had been so long since she had a small child in her house, she wasn't really sure what they should do next.

Henry was already waiting for them downstairs when Emma and Regina finally made their way down. After lunch, Regina checked her phone and had a missed voicemail from David. Her trepidation was rising as she called him back.

"I just got your message," Regina said, once David had answered.

_"Hey, yeah… I just talked to Blue_," David started. Regina felt a lump forming in her throat. She already know where this was headed. _"She, um, she has a theory on who the little lost girl might be."_

"Okay," Regina said, swallowing hard, "who?"

_"Regina, this is going to sound crazy, but… she thinks it's Emma."_

Regina felt like she had just been punched in the stomach. She tried to tell herself it was ridiculous to feel this way – that she was way too attached to this child, for how short a time she had had her – but she couldn't help it. Little Emma had grown on her, and she didn't want to let her go.

"How is that possible?" Regina asked.

_"Blue said something about a sort of magical reincarnation… I don't know, Regina, I know it sounds nuts, but there's really only one way to know for sure. You've got to bring her down to the hospital. They're going to do a cheek swab and compare her DNA to mine."_

"Yours and Snows?" Regina asked.

_"I haven't told her yet… she took Emma's death hard. I don't want to get her hopes up. You probably shouldn't tell Henry, either."_

"Right," Regina replied. She wasn't about to tell him she and Henry both already suspected this. She had thought, in the least, that if she was right, she could have told him herself and avoided the situation where he demanded to know how long she had known. Now she couldn't tell him that the idea had ever crossed her mind of who this child really was.

After she got off the phone, Regina headed back into the other room. Emma was distracted, playing on the floor, so Regina sat down with Henry to tell him everything David had just said.

"We shouldn't tell him that we knew," Henry said, when she had finished.

"Well, Henry, we didn't _really _know, and we don't know, still. Either way, it's not fair for me to ask you to lie to your grandfather," Regina said.

"You're not asking me, I'm offering. If she really is her, you only had her for two days. It's not worth making them mad at you over not telling him, you know?" Henry replied.

Regina nodded. "Okay. Do you want to come with us to the hospital? David said Dr. Whale will be ready for us in twenty minutes."

Henry nodded. Regina got up and sat down on the floor next to Emma.

"Emma, Sweetheart, we need to go out for a little while," Regina said, not sure exactly how she was going to explain what was about to happen.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked, looking hopeful that it would be someplace fun.

"We need to go see a doctor, at the hospital."

"Are you sick?" Emma asked.

"No, Sweetheart," Regina assured her.

"Am I sick?" Emma asked, her face starting to look panicked.

"No, Sweetheart, no one is sick. They are just going to take a swab, like a Q-tip, and put it inside your cheek. It's going to help us find your parents," Regina tried to explain, knowing that there was no way this child knew what DNA was.

"How will that help?"

"Well, they can run a test on the swab, and compare it to someone else's. If they match, then those people are your parents," Regina said, hoping that explanation would be good enough, but Emma still looked worried.

"Emma," Henry said, coming to join them on the floor, "you know me and my mom wouldn't let anyone hurt you, right?"

Emma nodded.

"So you can trust us. We'll both go with you, and it will be over before you know it," Henry assured her.

"Can we get ice cream after?" Emma asked, looking hopefully at Regina.

"Yes, absolutely," Regina agreed.

The trip to the hospital was a quiet one. Regina was lost in thought, wondering exactly how they would handle the situation once the test inevitably came back that this child was indeed a reincarnated Emma Swan. She knew that the Charmings would obviously want her back, and she also knew she had no right to interfere with that, but Henry needed to be with Emma as well. She wasn't about to let Henry move back in with the Charmings, when she had essentially just gotten him back, and he was her son. On top of that, she wasn't sure how Emma was going to react to all of this.

She would never blame the adult Emma for what she did to save everyone, but this situation was a mess, and she knew it was about to get a whole lot messier.

Emma clung nervously to Regina's hand as they entered the hospital. David was there, waiting for them, and looked a little surprised to see Henry.

"You told him?" David asked, in a hushed voice.

"Yes," Regina nodded. "Is Whale ready?" She wasn't in the mood for small talk. She just wanted to get this over with.

David nodded, and Henry and Regina followed him into Whale's office, Emma still clinging tightly, to Regina's hand. When they got inside, Emma ducked behind Regina's legs. Apparently the shy little girl had returned to replace the rambunctious, chatty one from this morning.

"Hello there," Dr. Whale said, kneeling down in front of Emma. "I'm Dr. Whale. I'm not going to hurt you, but I need you to open your mouth. Can you do that for me?"

Emma pursed her lips closed and shook her head.

"Maybe Grandpa should go first," Henry suggested.

"Good idea," Whale said, standing again. Regina scooped Emma up in her arms, so she could watch as Whale swabbed David's cheek.

"See, Little One. It won't hurt and it only takes a second," Regina told her.

"That's right," Whale said, as he slid the swab from David's cheek into a protective sleeve and quickly labelled it, before grabbing a fresh one for Emma. "Now it's your turn."

"I don't want to!" Emma cried, wrapping her arms around Regina's neck and burying her face. "I don't want to find my parents! I want to stay with you!"

Regina could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes, but she knew she couldn't cry now – not in front of Dr. Whale and certainly not in front of David.

"Little One," Regina started, careful not to use Emma's name in front of David, lest he realize that she had already figured this out before, "remember what I told you: I'll still be your friend, even after we find your parents. You'll always have me, no matter what, okay?"

Regina pretended not to notice the odd look David was giving her right now. She didn't particularly care about his opinion on her promise to Emma. She intended to keep it with or without his consent.

Emma lifted her head slowly. "You promise?"

"Of course," Regina smiled.

Emma looked over at Dr. Whale, and after a few more moments of hesitation, she opened her mouth and allowed him to take the cheek swab.

"See? All done," Regina smiled. Emma just stared back at her, a solemn look in her eyes.

"How long will that take?" David asked.

"I'll put a rush on it," Dr. Whale informed him, "we should know within twenty four hours."

_Twenty four hours_, Regina thought to herself, as she carried Emma out of the building and back out to the car. In twenty four hours she might well have to pass Emma off to the Charmings, which was the last thing in the world she wanted to do right now.

"Why did the doctor swab the Sherriff's cheek?" Emma asked, as Regina put her in the carseat.

"Hmm?" Regina asked. She had heard her, but she wasn't quite sure what to say. It hadn't occurred to her until now that perhaps David shouldn't have had his cheek swabbed in front of Emma.

"The doctor swabbed the Sherriff's cheek," Emma replied, "do they think he's my daddy?"

"They don't know, yet, Emma. We'll know tomorrow," Regina told her.

"They should have done your cheek," Emma stated.

"I'm not your mommy, Emma."

"I know. But I want you to be. I want to stay with you."

Regina gave Emma a sad smile, but she didn't say a word. How could she possibly tell a four-year-old that she wished she could stay with her, too, when she knew in her heart that she couldn't. It was bad enough that she knew her own heart was about to break, she didn't need Emma's to, as well.

* * *

"Gina, aren't we gonna get ice cream?" Emma's little voice cried out when Regina drove past the ice cream parlour.

"Yes, darling, but not there," Regina replied. The sign had been fixed, but she had a feeling the shop owner would be less than thrilled if they returned so soon, considering most of the town still believed that it was Regina who had tried to drop the sign on Blue's head. She didn't care that they thought it, but she didn't want to make an awkward experience for Emma.

Regina kept driving until they reached Granny's diner. They didn't have as many flavours there, but Regina knew she could at least get a strawberry sundae or a milkshake for the little girl.

Inside, they grabbed a booth and gave their orders. The bell on the door chimed as Ruby brought over the sundaes. Henry waved at whoever had just walked in, and Regina turned to see Snow in the doorway.

"Hey Henry!" She said, as she walked up to the booth, her eyes on Emma. "Who do we have here?"

Emma stared up at her, but didn't say a word. Regina knew Snow knew about the little lost girl, and she silently hoped that she would take a hint from Emma's silence and carry on.

But of course she couldn't be so lucky.

"My name is Mary Margaret," Snow said, sitting beside Emma with a big smile on her face. Regina shifted nervously in her seat, dreading what was coming next.

"I'm Emma," Emma replied. Snow's eyes darted to Regina, questioningly. When Regina didn't offer any answers - not that she really had any to give - Snow turned back to Emma.

"My daughter's name is Emma," she said. In the months following Emma's death, she had never stopped referring to her in the present tense. Regina wondered if that was another form of denial, but she never asked. She had never experienced the death of her child, so she didn't feel it was her place to step in.

"Really? Can I meet her?" Emma's eyes lit up.

"Um... She's not here right now," Snow said tentively, "but I think she would like you. You're pretty like her with that blonde hair... and those eyes..."

"You're Snow White," Emma said suddenly, taking everyone by surprise.

"How did you know?" Snow asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Henry's book... your hair is different but you have the same eyes," Emma shrugged, as if it should have been obvious.

Regina watched Snow's face carefully as she studied Emma's eyes. In that moment, she knew Snow knew. David wanted to keep it between them until they knew for sure, but Regina knew all too well what it felt like to look at your own child, and have them not know who you were. She couldn't do that to Snow... not again.

"We need to talk," she said, standing. "Henry, keep an eye on Emma for a minute."

Snow followed Regina to the back of the diner - the same place Emma and Regina had spoken when she had brought Henry back to Storybrooke after their year in New York. This felt the same to her, and yet vastly different.

"It's her," Snow said, before Regina could speak. It sounded like an accusation, and in spite of herself, Regina felt her defenses going up.

"We're not sure," she started.

"We?" Snow cut in, her voice sounding panicked.

"Listen, I will explain everything... well, I can't really explain anything, but I'll try," Regina said with a sigh. Regina filled Snow in on what she knew - the well, the fairies, Emma's memories coming back in her sleep, her odd conversation with Blue, and finally on the pending paternity test.

"David knew?" Snow asked.

"Snow... he didn't want to tell you until he knew for sure. He didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing," Regina tried to assure her. It still felt odd to her whenever she played the Charmings' cheerleader, but their relationship had evolved enough to allow her to do it without sounding fake.

"It's not for nothing! Look at her eyes, that's her," Snow insisted.

"I know," Regina agreed, "but I have no idea how... reincarnation is impossible. We all saw her die, Snow." Regina regretted her words when she saw Snow flinch.

"Everything that happens in Storybrooke is impossible," Snow replied. "Magic can't bring someone back from the dead, so explain Maleficent? Or Zelena?"

"Neither of them actually died."

"Okay, well... time travel was also supposed to be impossible."

"I know, Snow, I... I'm not trying to say it's not her I'm just... none of this makes sense," Regina admitted.

"So what now?" Snow asked.

"Now.. we wait, I guess," Regina shrugged. "Dr. Whale said we'll know within twenty-four hours."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime we keep things as they are," said Regina.

"She's my daughter," Snow pointed out.

"I understand that, but she doesn't know you."

"She barely knows you," Snow retorted.

"Henry found her," Regina reminded her, "she came back to him. He needs her, and she needs me."

"She needs her mother," Snow countered.

Regina knew she had no grounds to try to keep Emma long term, but she was determined to keep her at least until they knew for sure, and deal with the inevitable once it was confirmed.

"We'll need to figure out a way to work this out," she sighed, "but tonight, she stays with me and Henry."

"Regina, there is nothing to work out here. When the DNA results are back, I will be taking my daughter. I won't stop Henry from seeing her whenever he wants, but Regina, I missed my chance to raise her the first time. I will not give that up again."

"Mom!" Regina heard Henry cry out from the front of the diner. She turned back around the corner to see the tables all shaking and the light bulbs blowing out one at a time. Emma was crouched down in her chair covering her eyes, ans Blue was standing in the doorway of the diner.

"Emma!" Regina called out, running over and scooping her up in her arms, with Snow close behind her.

Regina dark eyes snapped up at Blue as she held the trembling child close to her. "What the hell did you say to her?" Regina hissed at the fairy.

"Nothing, your Majesty," Blue replied, her eyes darting back and forth between Emma and Snow.

"You're upsetting her, and you need to leave," Regina said flatly.

Blue leaned in closer. "If I were you, I would worry about getting her magic under control before it's too late."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Blue just smirked, and turned to leave the diner without another word. When she was gone, Regina squeezed Emma tightly.

"It's okay, Baby, she's gone now," Regina assured her, stroking her hair.

"You... said... I... wouldn't... have to... see her!" Emma choked out between sobs.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't expect her to come here," Regina said.

The magical earthquake calmed down as Emma did. Regina looked around. There weren't many people in the diner, but the few that were there were staring. Regina waved her hand and used her magic to fix the disaster Emma had just caused.

"She has magic," Snow said, finally.

"And you have a knack for stating the obvious," Regina snapped at her.

For her part, Snow chose to disregard Regina's comment. "What did Blue mean, before it's too late?"

"How should I know? When does Blue ever tell me anything other than a vague cryptic threat?"

"We'll have to figure something out," Snow said, softly.

"What?" Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise, as she continued to rock Emma in her arms.

"She needs to be with me, but... I can't teach her magic. We'll need to work something out."

Regina nodded. "We'll talk when we get the results, okay? But I need to get her home, now."

Snow nodded. "We'll be in touch."

Henry said goodbye to his grandmother and got up to follow Regina out of the diner. Regina sighed as they approached the car, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

Emma lifted her head from Regina's shoulder and looked around as they stepped outside.

"The Blue Fairy is gone, Honey, I promise," Regina assured her as she carried her over to the car, Henry following close behind.

"Why did she come here?" Emma asked, still sniffling from the recent tears.

"I don't know, Sweetheart, but she lives in Storybrooke and you're probably going to see her from time to time. I can't prevent that, but I promise you, she's never going to hurt you, okay?"

Emma blinked at Regina a few times as Regina strapped her into her car seat. Her lip quivered as she spoke again. "What if she tells you to send me away?"

"Well, I wouldn't listen to her."

"What if she told you there was something wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Emma."

"Something is!" Emma insisted, "the fairies knew it, and it made them scared of me!"

"Even if something is wrong, I still wouldn't send you away. Storybrooke is your real home, Emma. It's where you belong. And whether you're with me, or with your parents, you will be in Storybrooke, and no one is ever going to send you away."

Emma nodded slowly, and looked down at her feet. Her lip was still quivering.

"Is something else bothering you, Emma?" Regina asked, sliding into the backseat next to her. Henry turned back from his place in the passenger seat, and looked at Emma, worried.

"That man… the Sheriff… he's my daddy, isn't he? I'm gonna have to go live with him, aren't I?" Emma asked, without looking up.

Regina breathed a heavy sigh. "We'll know for sure tomorrow, Emma," she started, "but yes, there is a very good chance that he is your daddy. And the lady you met today, Mary Margaret, she is probably your mommy."

"Snow White?" Emma asked, looking up at Regina, confused.

"Yes."

"But Snow White isn't real… she's just a cartoon."

"The cartoon isn't real, but Snow White is," Regina said. She wasn't sure exactly how to explain to a child who had two distinct sets of memories – one that she was forming now, and one that she was slowly remembering, wherein fairy tales were just stories – that what was true in one, wasn't in another.

"She has two names? Snow White and Mary something?" Emma asked.

"Yes, like you have two names. You had one in the Enchanted Forest and a different one here."

"And do I have to go live with her?" Emma asked, quieter this time. It was the second time she asked, and Regina knew she couldn't just avoid the question. She also knew she certainly couldn't wait until the Charmings inevitably came to pick her up to drop that bombshell, either.

"They will probably want you to live with them, yes. But that doesn't mean you won't get to see me all the time still, okay?"

"But I want to stay with you forever!" Emma cried.

Regina looked up at Henry for a moment, and she saw the troubled look in his eyes. She wasn't sure who he was more worried about at that moment, Emma or herself. Maybe both of them, equally.

"I know you do, Sweetheart, but it's not up to you or me," Regina said, finally. "But tonight you will be with me, so maybe we can do something fun to take our minds off of everything, okay?"

"Okay," Emma nodded. Regina gave her a reassuring smile, and then got into the driver's seat to head back to the house.

"Maybe we can play lost and found?" Emma suggested, as they drove.

"Lost and found? What's that?" Regina asked.

"Do you mean hide and seek?" Henry asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah! Hide and seek! I'm a good hider," Emma grinned.

"I bet," Henry smirked, "but I know that house much better than you. I bet I find you every time!"

"I bet you a million dollars you never find me!" Emma challenged, that devilish look in her eyes again.

Emma took off like a rocket toward the house the second Regina had her out of the car seat. "I'm hiding first!" she declared as she ran inside and bounded up the stairs.

"She's not even gonna wait for me to start counting," Henry laughed.

"She's four," Regina reminded him, "the finer points of the rules are probably lost on her."

"I think she went into my room," Henry said, glancing up the stairs.

"Oh, don't cheat! She's little, give her a break," Regina scolded him, lightheartedly.

"Are you gonna play?" Henry asked.

Regina rolled her eyes, and smiled. "No, this one's all you. I'm going to get started on dinner. I trust you can keep Emma entertained until then?"

"I'll try," Henry agreed, before taking a small pause. His face took on a more serious look before he continued. "Mom, what do you think Blue meant, about getting her magic under control before it's too late?"

"I honestly don't know, Henry. I'm going to ask your grandparents to talk to her, since she's not going to tell me anything. She would probably love it if Emma burned the house down," Regina sighed.

"You don't think she could actually burn the house down?" Henry asked, his eyes widening.

"No, of course not. I could stop it."

"But what if she's at Grandma and Grandpa's and she get scared? That's when her magic gets out of control, and they can't stop it."

"Henry, everything will be fine. I will teach her how to control it," Regina insisted.

"By tomorrow?"

"Go play with Emma. Stop worrying," Regina said, patting him lightly on the shoulder before heading to the kitchen.

Truthfully, she was worried about what Blue had meant by that comment. And she was worried about Emma's magic and the damage she could do at the Charming loft if she got upset or scared. And she was extremely worried that Emma's magic seemed to be getting stronger by the day and there was no way she would have it under control by tomorrow.

But she also knew what she had said to Emma was true: Emma's living arrangements weren't under her control. If the Charmings wanted her back tomorrow, there was nothing she could do, other than to appeal to their common sense and try to convince them that her home was the safest place for Emma at the moment.

Henry watched his mother for a few seconds as she started getting the ingredients ready for dinner. He considered following her into the kitchen, but decided against it. She looked like she needed to think, and therefore she needed to not be disturbed. He turned his focus back on Emma.

"Ready or not, here I come!" he yelled as he started up the stairs. He knew Emma was still in his room, but he made a point of pretending he didn't have a clue, as he checked the guest bedroom first, and then the upstairs bathroom.

"Wow, Emma, you really are a good hider!" he said, purposely loud so she would hear it. He heard a small giggle coming from his closet as he entered the room, but pretended not to notice. The closet door was slightly open, allowing some light in, and he could see Emma's little foot.

"Maybe you're under the bed!" he declared, making an over exaggerated sigh when she wasn't there. "Nope, not under the bed. Hmm, maybe you're in a different room!"

He heard Emma's stifled giggling some more, and the sound of something softly falling. He figured she shifted and knocked the extra blankets off the shelf.

"Maybe behind the dresser!" he announced. This time there was no giggling. He turned back to the closet, confused. "Or the closet!" he said, coming closer and pulling the door open.

"Found you!" he exclaimed, when he found Emma half buried under a pile of blankets that she had knocked down. She looked up at him with wide, confused eyes.

"Emma, what is it?" he asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.

"This is my blanket," she said, holding up her white baby blanket.

Henry nodded, and smiled. "I know. I've been keeping it for you."

Emma smiled, and hugged the blanket tight to her. "I missed it."

"I missed you," Henry said, before he could catch himself. For her part, Emma didn't seem to notice the comment, as something else caught her eye. Under one of the fallen blankets was a photograph, the corner just sticking out. She picked it up and saw Henry smiling with a blonde haired, green eyed woman.

"Who's that?" she asked, showing the picture to him.

Henry drew in a sharp breath. It was the last picture he and Emma had taken together before she died. He had forgotten that he had tucked it away on the shelf with her baby blanket.

"That's… um, her name is Emma," Henry stammered, not quite sure what to say.

Emma turned the picture around and stared at it again, studying the unfamiliar and yet familiar woman staring back at her. "Mary… something… Snow White, she said her daughter is Emma."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, she did."

"Did she mean me? Or her?" Emma asked.

"It's… it's kind of complicated," Henry said. He wished he could tell her both were accurate, but he knew there was no possible way to explain that one. "How about another round of hide and seek? It's my turn to hide. You count, okay?"

Emma grinned and nodded, handing the picture back to Henry. She closed her eyes and started to count as he took off to hide. When she reached what she thought was an appropriate number, she opened her eyes and got up to start seeking, dragging her white blanket behind her.

She looked around Henry's room before leaving it, and then headed down the hall to the guest bedroom. She looked under the bed and in the closet. Nothing. "Henny!" she yelled, but got no response. She headed across the hall to Regina's bedroom, and looked in her closet. Nothing.

Being four, it didn't take Emma long to lose interest in the game, and get distracted by Regina's jewellery case sitting on the vanity. She dropped her blanket on the floor and climbed up on the chair, opening the box and revealing the treasures inside.

Emma grinned as the light caught the diamonds on the necklaces and earrings inside, making the colours on the crystals dance. She pulled out a necklace and put it on. It hung down well past her chest, and was heavy, but it made Emma feel like a little princess. She smiled at her reflection as she layered gold and silver bracelets on both of her arms. They were way too big, but she didn't care.

She turned to another box on Regina's vanity, and her eyes lit up when she saw it contained make up. She went to work applying dark blue eye shadow up to her eyebrows, and red lipstick well around the outside of her lips.

"Emma?" she heard Henry calling out, "did you give up?"

Emma turned toward the door, still grinning, as Henry walked into the room.

"Oh my gosh," Henry said, laughing.

"Do I look pretty?" Emma asked.

"Beautiful," Henry said, nodding. "Come on, let's go show my mom." Henry held out his hand to Emma, and led her down the stairs. Silently, he hoped that Regina would think it was funny, and not freak out. He couldn't imagine her getting mad at Emma, but he was supposed to be watching her.

Regina didn't look up as she heard the kids walking into the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready," she said, "get washed up."

"Oh, Emma's more than ready for dinner," Henry said, barely containing his laughter.

Regina looked over, and her mouth dropped. She stood there, stunned for a moment.

"I wanted to be pretty like you," Emma said, her smile fading when she saw Regina's shocked reaction.

In spite of the fact that Emma was wearing the most expensive necklace that Regina owned, she couldn't help the smile that started spreading across her face. "Well, you succeeded, by darling. You are much prettier than me."

A look of relief washed over Emma's face. "I can't wait til I'm big and I can wear pretty stuff like this all the time!"

Regina had to laugh, trying to imagine the adult Emma Swan in dresses and fancy jewellery. The two just didn't mesh, though she had to wonder if there was a chance that might change the second time around, after she had Regina's influence at a young age. She supposed she would just have to wait and see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

That evening, after dinner was done and Regina had bathed Emma and cleaned the make-up off of her face, Emma bounded into Regina's bedroom and grabbed her white blanket off the floor, before hopping into Regina's bed.

"Oh, you're sleeping here, are you?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "I don't like to sleep alone. I feel safer with you."

"Alright then," Regina said, coming over to tuck her in. She leaned forward and gave Emma a kiss on her forehead. It was only a matter of minutes before Emma was asleep, and Regina headed back downstairs to talk to Henry.

"Hey," she said, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Emma has your mother's baby blanket."

"Yeah, I know. She found it in my closet when we were playing hide and seek. She remembered that it was hers," Henry said, as he closed the comic book he was reading and turned to face his mother.

"Henry… how are you doing, with all of this?" Regina asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I know how hard it was for you to lose Emma. And now, she might be back, but it's hardly the same thing."

Henry sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was just starting to get… I don't know, used to the idea that she was gone? And then she was back, in a way. I guess… having her alive is all that matters, right? Even if she's not the same?"

"And you could be happy with that?"

"Well, I mean, what other choice do I have?"

"I just want to you know, things might get a little messy, once we have the DNA test results. Please, just remember, you can always talk to me, okay?"

"I know, Mom," Henry said, leaning in to give her a hug. "And thanks, for everything you've done for Emma. It means a lot to me."

"Well, you know Emma and I became close, in the months before her death. I never thought it would happen and now… now knowing how it all ended, I wish I had let her in, sooner. She was a good person. I wish I would have seen that sooner than I did," Regina admitted, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"She is a good person," Henry corrected. Regina sighed, and decided not to press the issue any further. He seemed to see this little Emma and his deceased mother as one and the same, while Regina had them separated in her mind. She wasn't sure whose view was right, but she assumed it would only be a matter of time before they found out.

Regina flicked on the TV to an old movie, and sat with her son in her arms as they watched it together. Her mind drifted off and on to the little girl sleeping upstairs, and how much she wanted to keep her indefinitely, but holding her son, she was reminded that she still wouldn't be alone. She had always had an all-or-nothing mentality, but she was slowly learning to let that go, as much as it pained her to do so.

When the movie ended, Henry and Regina both headed up to bed. Regina kissed her son on the forehead before he headed into his room. She headed into her own room where, thankfully, Emma was still sound asleep. It had been a few hours and she didn't seem to be having any nightmares yet, which was a relief.

A relief that Regina rejoiced in a little too soon.

Just after three, Regina was awoken by the sound of Emma screaming. Her eyes snapped open, and she flicked on the light on her nightstand, and turned to look at Emma. Emma was holding her knees close to her chest and hugging them tightly, her face buried and blonde curls soaked with sweat.

"Emma," Regina said, reaching out to touch her arm. Emma flinched away like the touch had burned her, and started to cry louder.

"Emma, sweetie, it's me. It's Regina. You're okay," Regina said, as the panic started to rise in her throat.

Emma quieted down, and slowly began to lift her head. "Gina?" she whispered.

Regina gasped when she saw Emma's face. Her skin was white as a ghost and her cheeks were stained with tears, which didn't come as a surprise. What shocked her was the large purple and blue bruise covering Emma's left eye and the side of her face.

"Emma, what happened?" Regina asked, as she felt the blood drop her from her face. Emma had been right beside her all night. How was this possible?

"I was bad," Emma whispered.

"What?" Regina asked, unable to hide the panic from her voice.

"I was bad, and the daddy had to punish me," Emma explained, in a pitifully small voice.

"Oh, Baby!" Regina cried, pulling Emma into her lap and holding her close, rocking her gently, as tears escaped her own eyes. She waved a hand over Emma's face and magically did away with the bruises. "Is that better?"

Emma nodded, and put her thumb in her mouth – something Regina had never seen her do before. She was regressing. It occurred to Regina that Emma was doing more than simply regaining old memories in her sleep; she was reliving her old life, both mentally and physically. She wondered what kind of a curse could cause a child to have to live that same horror twice.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I knew a way to make this stop," Regina said, stroking Emma's hair.

"I wish I could remember you when I dream," Emma replied, "then I wouldn't be afraid."

"I'll figure out a way," Regina vowed, even though she had no idea how she was going to make good on that promise.

It took about half an hour of rocking for Emma to calm back down and fall back to sleep. This time, Regina decided to stay awake, knowing that Emma was returning to the hell of her childhood again. She hoped that in this slumber, Emma would return to a better, kinder family, but she had no way of knowing what was coming next. She wondered if there would be a way to get a hold of Emma's old foster care records, to give her a heads-up, and made a mental note to look into it in the morning.

Emma slept restlessly in Regina's arms for the first little while, and Regina saw new bruises appear, which she instantly took away. She debated with herself whether she should just wake Emma up, but she knew she couldn't keep her awake forever, and the moment she went to sleep, these memories were just waiting to be relived. All she could do now was damage control, until she could figure out a way to help – if there was one.

Eventually, Emma stopped stirring, and slept soundly. Regina couldn't tell if she stopped dreaming, or if she had moved on to a new home and new memories that weren't so violent and unhappy. Either way, she didn't allow herself to go back to sleep, just in case.

Shortly after seven, Emma's eyes fluttered open again, and she looked up at Regina.

"Hey, Little One," Regina said, softly. Emma didn't reply, she just reached up to wrap her little arms around Regina's neck and hold on tight.

"Are you okay, Baby?" Regina asked, stroking her hair.

Emma nodded. "I'm glad you're here," she said, quietly.

"I'm glad you're back," Regina replied.

"I was with a very bad family," Emma said. "They just wanted to hurt me."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Regina said, her voice choking slightly. "Did you get to leave them?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "But I'm still scared."

"I know, Sweetheart, but you're safe with me now. I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

"Why can't you protect me in my dreams, too?"

The question cut like a knife, and Regina wished she had an answer. She had to settle for changing the subject instead. "How about breakfast?" she suggested. "Henry's got school today, we can go get breakfast at the diner and then say goodbye to him, okay?"

Emma nodded, though she didn't seem as enthusiastic as she had just yesterday. Regina noted that this was another new Emma. She seemed so different every day, and Regina couldn't help but wonder if the Charmings were actually up to taking her on. It wasn't easy for Regina, and the Charmings would have two preschoolers and no magic.

The drive to the diner was a silent one. Emma stared out the window, listlessly, and Henry turned back every few seconds to look at her.

"Maybe I shouldn't go to school today," he suggested.

"You have to go to school," Regina replied. "Emma will be fine."

"You were right, when you said her acting up yesterday was better. I miss that kid."

"She'll be back," Regina said, trying to sound confident. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if that Emma would be back any time soon. This Emma had just been through a major trauma, and she wasn't sure how to deal with that. She knew she was going to have to call Archie after breakfast, because Emma didn't look like she was going to snap out of it herself, any time soon.

After a quiet breakfast, Regina was at the counter paying so they could leave the diner when the door opened, and the Charmings rushed in, each with a big grin on their face. Regina's heart sank. She knew what was coming.

"We got the DNA results!" Snow declared, as if it needed to be said, "it's her! She's Emma!"

Henry's face lit up as he looked back and forth between his grandparents. "I knew it! That's amazing!" he cried, hugging Snow tight.

"Where's Emma?" David asked, looking around.

"What do you mean, 'where's Emma'? She's right…" Regina's voice trailed off as she looked around. Emma was nowhere to be seen.

"Emma?" Henry called out, crouching down to look under the tables. The four began looking frantically around the tiny diner. There weren't many places to hide, even for someone as small as Emma. It didn't take them long to conclude that she wasn't in the diner anymore.

Regina was the first out the door. "Emma!" she yelled, looking in all directions for any sign of the little blond. She ignored the confused stares of the people outside as she headed toward the road, calling Emma's name. The Charmings and Henry were close behind, doing the same.

"Did you see a little blonde girl?" Regina asked the people standing on the sidewalk, who all shook their heads.

"Mom… where's your car?" Henry asked, looking to the empty parking space where the Mercedes had been.

"Oh, David! Someone took her!" Snow cried, grabbing her husband's arm.

"We'll find her, it's okay," David attempting to reassure her. "Right, Regina?" he asked, turning to Regina for some back up or insight on the situation.

Regina fought back tears as she looked at the spot her car had been, and then back up and down the sidewalk, before nodding. "We'll find her," she agreed, though she sounded much less convincing than she had hoped to.

"Okay, we all need to calm down, and think," David instructed, as his wife proceeded to nearly hyperventilate on the sidewalk.

"I can't lose her again!" Snow cried.

"You're not going to," Regina insisted.

"What if someone took her?" Snow asked.

Regina sighed. "I don't think someone took her. I think she ran."

"With your car?" David asked.

Regina shrugged. "I don't know. I just know she was upset this morning. She wasn't herself. Remember how I said her old memories are coming back to her in her sleep? Last night were bad ones."

"Bad how?" Snow asked.

Regina looked at Henry, who was still listening intently, and back to Snow. She didn't really want to tell either of them, but she supposed she had no choice. "An abusive home," Regina said, finally. "And, it was more than just memories. The physical signs were showing up on her body. Bruises, out of nowhere."

"She didn't have bruises this morning," Henry pointed out.

"I know. I used magic to heal them. But it looks like she's not just getting her memories back, but her body is physically changing the way Emma's would have. It's like some sort of sick curse, making her relive all her old childhood traumas."

"Who would do that?" Snow asked, looking appalled.

"I don't know, but we can't worry about that right now. We need to figure out where Emma is," Regina reminded them.

"No one came into the diner, so Emma must have walked out," Henry said.

Regina nodded. "I'm thinking she slipped out the door while it was closing. That's why we didn't hear the bell."

"Ok, but then what? She stepped out here and someone grabbed her?" David asked. "Who else knows who she is?"

"Just us and Blue," Regina replied.

"Blue wouldn't take her," Snow insisted.

Regina raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. As much as she didn't care for the fairy, she didn't really think she would take her either. And if she did, she certainly didn't need Regina's car to do it.

"So someone took Emma, who didn't know who she was. And your car. Maybe it's not about her, it's about you," David deduced. "Who do you think would do that?"

"Who wants revenge on the Evil Queen?" Regina sneered, "it's a long list. We'd we quicker to eliminate people who _wouldn't_ want revenge… and sadly, I think they are all present and accounted for."

"How did someone even drive away with your car?" Henry asked. "You still have the keys. Who knows how to hot wire a Mercedes?"

"The only car thief I know…." Regina's voice trailed off as she came to the realization. "It's Emma."

"What?" Snow demanded.

"Emma. Her magic. She did this."

"Regina, that's ridiculous," David scoffed.

Regina shook her head, ignoring the comment, and waved her hand, magically materializing the only object she knew for certain belonged to Emma: the white blanket.

"Emma's blanket?" Snow asked, "what are you doing?"

"Locator spell," Regina replied, rolling her eyes, assuming that much should have been obvious. The blanket glowed purple for a moment, and then started to float. "If you're coming, hurry up," Regina said to the Charmings as she started to follow the blanket.

Henry stayed in tow, knowing Regina wasn't going to make him go to school now. The four walked in silence, following the enchanted blanket. For her part, Regina started to wonder if perhaps she should stop taking Emma out of the house, since it always seemed to end disastrously when she did. She thought about Emma's comment that there was something wrong with her, and wondered if perhaps that was what she was referring to.

She also couldn't help but think about Blue's comment about getting Emma's magic under control. Regina was convinced Emma had somehow used magic to leave with her car, and she was terrified about what could have happened if she did.

"Do you really think she used magic?" Snow asked, hurrying to walk beside Regina. Regina looked at her uneasily, before nodding.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," she replied.

"What are we going to do, when we find her?" Snow asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, about the magic, the memories coming back, everything. She's four years old. It's not fair what's happening to her."

Regina nodded. "No, it's not. But we will figure out a way to help her… even if I have to enlist the help of the fairies," Regina said, shuddering at the thought.

"It's taking us to the woods," Henry piped up, as they blanket turned ahead of them. "Back to where I found her in the first place."

"Why would she go there?" Snow asked.

"I don't know," Regina said, picking up her pace as the blanket quickened. She knew they were getting close, but she was also getting annoyed at the grating sound of Snow's voice. She knew she shouldn't think like that when Emma was missing, but alas, old habits die hard.

"There's the car!" David said, pointing it out as he ran toward it. The rest followed him, and sure enough, they found Regina's Mercedes. The cabin was empty, and the back door was open.

"It's going toward the well," Henry said, drawing their attention back to Emma's blanket. Moments later, the well was in view, and little Emma was perched on the ledge, her legs dangling into the well, looking down.

"Emma!" Regina gasped, running toward her. Emma's head snapped around to look at her, her face red and puffy from crying. Regina grabbed her and pulled her back from the ledge, holding her tight.

"What were you doing?" she asked, cupping Emma's face in her hand to look in her eyes.

"You said if I sat in the car, it would take me where I want to go, so that's what I did," Emma said, sniffling.

"You wanted to go to the well?" Regina asked confused.

"I want to go home!" Emma cried, throwing her face into Regina's chest, sobbing. Regina looked at the Charmings and Henry, at a complete loss for words.

"Emma, this is your home," Snow said, stepping over to Emma and Regina. Emma turned her head slightly to look at her from the corner of her eye.

"I want my old home!"

"You want to go back to the Enchanted Forest? With the fairies?" Regina asked. "I thought you liked it here, with us?"

Emma nodded. "I don't have bad dreams there. I don't remember bad things in my sleep when I'm there. And I can't stay with you, so I want to go back!"

Regina bit the inside of her lip, and looked at Snow and David, who looked back at her, stunned. Her first instinct was to take Emma home with her right now, regardless of how the Charmings felt, but she knew she couldn't do that. To her surprise, it was David who spoke up first.

"Emma, maybe you can stay with Regina a little longer? Would that make you feel better?" he asked.

"David!" Snow said, in protest.

"If staying with Regina will stop her from jumping down a well, that's what we're going to have to do," David explained. Regina was surprised, but she wasn't about to disagree.

"Would you like that, Emma?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. "Okay, then maybe your parents can come over and see you there? And you can get to know them?"

"Do I have to leave?" Emma said, looking up at Regina.

"Not until you're ready," Regina replied. She noticed Snow shifting uncomfortably. She knew the younger woman had had her heart set on taking her daughter home as soon as possible, but she was just going to have to wait.

"Okay," Emma agreed. "I'm sorry I took your car."

"That's the other thing… starting today, you and I are going to start magic lessons," Regina told her. "You moved a car. I definitely need to help you get this under control."

"Are you mad?" Emma asked, softly.

"No, I'm not mad. I was just scared. We all were. We all love you Emma, and this is your home," Regina told her. "And now it's time to drop Henry off at school and go back to the house. Maybe Mommy and Daddy can come see you this afternoon?"

Snow smiled at the suggestion. "We would love to."

"Alright then, let's get going. It's not even 8:30… that's enough excitement for one day, don't you think?"

Emma grinned her impish grin, and suddenly looked like the little girl from yesterday, and Regina knew the excitement was probably just beginning.

When they got home, Regina took Emma out to the backyard for her first magic lesson. She wasn't sure how to proceed, since she had never actually taught magic to a child. It occurred to her that in many ways, Emma Swan had always been like a child, and perhaps this wouldn't be so different. She knew, however, the breaking bridge approach was out of the question.

She started with some basics, like moving small objects or making them disappear, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that this little Emma was actually easier to teach than the adult Emma had been. However, as the lesson continued, she quickly discovered that four-year-old Emma had about the same attention span as the adult one, which was nearly non-existent.

Regina flipped through her spell book quickly, trying to think of something else to teach Emma, that might hold her attention longer. She didn't get very far, before Emma made the book disappear right out of her hand. Regina looked down at Emma, who was giving her an impish grin.

"Bring it back," Regina said, holding out her hand. She could make the book reappear herself, but that wasn't the point of all this.

"Nuh-uh! What's that magic word?" Emma asked.

Regina gritted her teeth, trying to keep her patience in check. "Please. Please, Emma, bring back the book."

"That's not the magic word!" Emma laughed.

"You didn't tell me what the word was. That's not playing fair," Regina replied, firmly.

"The magic word is abracadabra!" Emma laughed.

"I will not say abracadabra. Bring the book back," Regina repeated, her annoyance growing.

"You just said it!" Emma exclaimed, looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Fine. I said it. So bring the book back."

"That wasn't the right word. I was tricking you!" Emma laughed.

"Emma, this isn't funny!" Regina insisted.

"Then why am I laughing?" Emma sassed back.

Regina closed her eyes and counted silently to ten. She had never dealt with this sort of insolence from a child. "Does it look like I'm laughing?" she asked, as she opened her eyes again.

Emma narrowed her eyes and looked at Regina closely. "A little bit," she said, with a shrug.

Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "Bring the book back!" she said, with more force than she meant too. Emma's eyes grew wide and the smile wiped off her face. She looked like she might cry as she waved her hands in front of her. White magic sparked from her fingertips, but the book didn't appear.

"I don't remember how!" she cried, her voice sounding panicked.

Regina noticed the branches of the trees above her starting to shake, and she dropped to her knees in front of the child. "Okay, Emma, it's okay. I'll show you again."

Emma calmed down as Regina went through it again, and this time Emma's magic brought the book back.

"I'm sorry, Gina," Emma said, once the book was returned. "Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad," Regina replied, "but I need you to understand that magic is serious, it's not a game."

"Okay," Emma nodded, "but I don't want to do this anymore right now. I'm hungry."

"Alright. That's probably enough for one day anyway. Let's go make lunch," Regina said, standing. She took Emma's little hand and brought her back inside. They had actually gotten farther than she expected for the first lesson, so she was okay with ending it there, for now.

Shortly after lunch, after Regina had put Emma down for a nap, Regina's phone rang.

"Hello?" Regina said, heading back down stairs.

_"Hey, Regina. Snow and I were just talking to Blue,_" he started. Regina rolled her eyes_, "and she needs to talk to all of us, about what's going on here."_

"Oh, she does? She's known something since the beginning and she just decided now would be a good time to share with the rest of the class?" Regina snarked.

_"I know you don't like her…"_

"I don't trust her, David. You shouldn't either. And I don't want her anywhere near Emma. Didn't Snow tell you what happened when Blue came into the diner yesterday?"

_"She did… but Regina, how else are we going to get answers?"_

Regina let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. But she's not stepping foot inside my home. And Emma isn't going to see her."

_"Agreed. We'll be there shortly."_

Regina waited impatiently on the front steps for Blue and the Charmings to arrive, leaving the front door open in case Emma woke up. She didn't like not being beside her when she slept, but she also knew they really did need answers. Thankfully, the Charmings arrived before Blue, so Regina didn't have to face the fairy alone.

"Where's Emma?" Snow asked eagerly, as she approached the door.

"She's napping," Regina replied, absently, as she could see Blue approaching in the distance.

"Napping?" Snow asked.

"Yes, she's four. She needs to nap," Regina replied.

"But you knew we were coming over," Snow said.

"Yes, and I also know she's four. And she needs to nap. And I won't have the Blue Fairy frightening her again, anyway. I wouldn't have agreed to this meeting if she was still awake."

"Regina," Blue nodded, as she reached the step, and seemed like she might walk past her into the open door.

"No, we're staying outside," Regina said, stepping to block her.

"Very well," Blue said. Regina thought her eyes looked unnecessarily challenging.

"So, are you going to tell us what the hell is going on here, or shall we just gaze into each other's eyes some more?" Regina asked, her patience already running thin.

"Well, David tells me we now know for sure who this child is," Blue stated.

"_We _know," Regina said, motioning to the Charmings and herself. "I still can't figure out how any of this is your concern."

"You do know she was living with fairies in the Enchanted Forest. They called me about this peculiar child that the Yellow Fairy discovered in a field. She had a … concerning affliction."

"She said there was something wrong with her," Regina said, a little more quietly, glancing back into the house to make sure Emma hadn't come down the stairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Snow cut in.

"She was… reincarnated four months ago, as a baby, and now physically, she's four years old," Blue explained. "she's aging, rapidly. I'm assuming it's to catch up to where she's supposed to be."

"You assume," David repeated, "but you don't actually know."

"Unfortunately, no," Blue nodded.

"She has dreams," Regina said, even though she had not intended to reveal this to Blue, initially, "and her dreams are Emma's real memories. Explain that."

Blue looked at Regina pensively for a moment. "She doesn't belong here. None of us do. There are powers beyond any of our understanding, and you, Your Majesty, toyed with them when you cast your curse. I don't know how Emma was reincarnated, but she was reborn in the place that she belonged, but her parents weren't there. Now she's here, and everything is… well, a mess."

"So this wouldn't be happening if we were in the Enchanted Forest?" Snow asked.

"No," Blue agreed.

"So, what you're saying is, Emma is going to age rapidly and regain her old memories at lightening speed until what? She gets back to where she belongs?" Regina asked.

"Apparently," Blue nodded. Regina rolled her eyes at the fairies half-answers.

"Gina?" Regina heard a tiny voice behind her. She spun around on her heels to see Emma standing there, clutching her blanket tightly. "Why is she here?"

Regina stepped inside and picked Emma up. "We needed to talk to her, baby. She had some answers for us."

"You promised she wouldn't come here!" Emma cried, her lip quivering.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Regina nodded, before turning back to Blue. "And she's leaving now."

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Blue said, sarcastically, before leaving.

"Majesty?" Emma asked, looking at Regina, confused.

"Ignore her," Regina said, "it doesn't matter. Your parents are here to see you."

Emma eyed Snow and David, uneasily, before looking at Regina again. "I had another bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina asked.

Emma threw her parents another glance. "Later."

"Alright," Regina agreed. "How about we all go out back then, and you can spend some time with your parents, okay, Emma?"

"Will you not leave?" Emma asked, her eyes pleading with Regina.

"I will never leave," Regina promised, as she led the way across the house to the backyard. She sat on the porch swing, watching as David and Mary Margaret played with Emma. She noted that they had chosen not to bring Neal, and she assumed he was with a sitter. _Typical_, she thought to herself.

She played over what the Blue Fairy had told her, in her mind. Emma had been dead four months, when the four year old version turned up in the woods. She wondered if it was safe, then, to assume she would age one year for every month. She thought about all the clothes she had bought the child, and realized she probably wouldn't get to wear most of them before she outgrew them.

She was also reminded of Blue's comment about getting Emma's magic under control before it was too late. It made sense now. Emma's magic would only grow stronger as she aged. Emma Swan had grown up in a world without magic, and her elemental ability hadn't been an issue then. But Emma's magic had been strong, and instinctual, and it would only get stronger as time went on. Regina knew they were going to have to take these magic lessons very seriously, and she wondered exactly how she was supposed to do that with a child who had the attention span of a goldfish.

She watched Emma, who was giggling as she showed her mother how she could make leaves and twigs disappear. Most of them, she was able to bring back, but a few seemed to get caught in limbo. She considered the fact that maybe the next time Emma was one on one with Blue, instead of causing a minor earthquake, she could perhaps just vanish the annoying fairy into oblivion.

Regina smiled to herself at the thought, though she considered for a moment that it wasn't completely ridiculous. _This_ Emma hadn't had her dark potential thrust into an unwilling victim. Her heart was as it should have been all along. Regina sighed as she realized that protecting Emma's heart was just one more task she was going to have to take on in all of this.

At least the magic was enough to convince the Charmings to let Emma stay with her for now. She wondered how long that would last.

* * *

The following morning, after Emma had played until she wore herself out and passed out on the living room floor, and Regina had carefully carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed with her, Regina woke alone.

"Emma?" she asked, cautiously, looking around the room. She wasn't there.

Regina hopped out of bed and threw on her robe, to start looking. Every night meant an onslaught of new old memories returning to Emma, and Regina never knew which Emma she would be when she woke up: the mischievous imp causing trouble, or the sullen, silent, terrified lost little girl.

If Regina's calculations were correct – and if this was all working in the logical way she hoped it was – Emma should be regaining nearly two weeks of old memories every night. She had no way of accurately knowing if that was the case, but in any event, a lot can happen in a short time, and every time she slept, she had to wonder just what life Emma was re-entering that night.

Regina also had to wonder what would happen when this Emma hit seventeen, when Emma Swan was pregnant with Henry. This Emma's little body was growing and changing, and Regina had noted signs of physical abuse had shown up one night in her sleep. She brushed that worry to the side. They had thirteen years – or rather thirteen months – before that would become an issue. Right now she had to worry about locating the missing preschooler.

Once she was in the hallway, Regina didn't actually have to _find _Emma, to know exactly which Emma she had to deal with today. If the crayon garden drawn all over her pristine white walls was any indication, she was in for a long day with a spirited child who didn't really understand boundaries and rules.

Regina sighed, but as angry as she was about the walls, she knew she would take mischievous Little Emma over distraught Little Emma any day of the week.

And she realized she wasn't really angry, either. It was just crayon and it could be vanished off the wall instantly with a wave of her hands. What intrigued – and disturbed – her more was the fact that Emma, chronologically, should be nearly 4 and a half now, and yet she was drawing on the walls like a toddler. Either no one had ever taught her that this behaviour was inappropriate, or else they had, and she did it for attention. Regina wasn't sure which was more worrisome.

She trailed her hand lightly over the mural, which continued down the hall and down the stairs, careful to avoid stepping on fallen crayons along the way, where she spotted Emma sitting on the bottom step, colouring enthusiastically. Regina almost had to admire the passion and dedication she was putting into her masterpiece.

"Emma!" Regina said, when she was just a few steps above the child.

Emma jumped, dropping a red crayon to the ground, and spun around to face Regina, her mouth gaping open in surprise. Regina just looked at her, one eyebrow raised, waiting for Emma to offer up an excuse for her behaviour.

Emma looked back at the wall for a moment, as if she had suddenly just realized what she had done, and looked back at Regina, the same dumbfounded look on her face.

Regina was about so say something, when she spotted something different about the picture Emma had been working on when she surprised her. The rest of the mural was all flowers and grass and butterflies, but here, at the bottom, was a distinct figure, with brown eyes and brown hair, holding the hand of a little one, with yellow hair and big green eyes, with a half drawn red heart between them.

Regina sighed and sat down on the step behind Emma, picking up the red crayon she had dropped and playing with it idly in her hand. "Is that you and me?"

Emma nodded, looking back at the drawing. "I thought maybe you would like it," she said, her voice small.

"I do, but maybe next time we can use paper?" she said, offering Emma a smile to let her know she wasn't in trouble. She should be in trouble – Henry certainly would have been – but after the bruises Regina had seen show up on Emma's skin a few nights ago, she was sure Emma had been disciplined more than enough for one lifetime. If she was being honest, there really were worse things a child could do than draw a picture for someone they clearly cared about.

Regina hesitated for a moment, and then leaned forward and completed the heart with the red crayon. Emma beamed.

"Mom!" Henry cried from behind her, causing her to jump this time.

"Emma did it," Regina said, in mock defense. Emma giggled.

"You would have never let me get away with something like this!" Henry insisted.

"She's not you," Regina replied, with a shrug, as she stood. She knew Henry couldn't quite understand how bad his birthmother's childhood had actually been, and how much she needed to just be a child, with someone to trust, and to play, without fear.

And then it hit her.

"Henry," she said, pulling her son out of Emma's earshot, as Emma picked up a crayon to colour in the heart. "I know why this happened."

"What?"

Regina sighed, "I know why Emma was reincarnated. I read about this once, but… it's just… I thought it was a legend. It has to do with balance. Magic is energy, and it can't be created or destroyed, it can only change form, you know this, correct?"

Henry nodded.

"Okay, Emma's magic is the strongest elemental magic in existence. Her power, plus her sacrifice, it shifted the balance. She never got her happy ending. She barely had any happiness her entire life, until you, and even then, she had such a short time with you before she was gone. She suffered a great injustice at the hands of fate, and now fates trying to tip the scales back into balance."

"So… you think she was reincarnated so she could be happy, this time around?" Henry asked, trying to follow his mother's train of thought.

"It makes sense, doesn't it?"

Henry nodded. In a strange way, it did make sense. "So, now what? You just let her run wild until she grows back up, because that will make her happy?"

"No, obviously not. But this is a second chance for her, and we have to make it count, okay?"

Henry glanced back over at Emma and laughed. "Yeah, okay, but just be careful. If you're gonna set the precedent that she can draw all over your walls and get away with it, just imagine what she's gonna pull when she's a teenager? Or an adult again?"

"Go get ready for school, I'll deal with Emma," Regina said, rolling her eyes. He had a point though. There had to be boundaries, or Emma would walk all over her. As Henry headed back up the stairs to get dressed for school, Regina walked back over to Emma.

"Well, my darling, it looks like magic lessons will be starting early today. Today, you get to learn how to magically remove crayon from expensive wall paint."

Emma turned to look at Regina, stricken. "But… I made this for you."

"And it's beautiful, but it can't stay on the wall."

Emma pouted as she looked at her drawing. Regina could tell she really had done it with the best of intentions, and she decided to make a small compromise. She waved her hand and magically produced a blank piece of paper in her hand.

"Emma, watch this," Regina said. Emma continued to pout, pretending she wasn't watching out of the corner of her eye while Regina waved her hand and transferred Emma's drawing of the two of them – red heart and all – on to the paper. "Now we can keep this part forever."

Emma turned back and finally smiled.

After an uneventful breakfast, and once Henry was off on his way to school, Regina took Emma back to the wall and began to teach her how to remove the crayon. Emma was completely disinterested by this point, but Regina promised her if she could get all the crayon off, she would take her to the store and let her pick out a frame to hang her drawing in, and it could stay on her wall forever. That was enough motivation to get Emma to concentrate, and though it took some time, she eventually got it done.

And Regina stayed true to her word and took Emma into town to let her pick out a frame. She took her to Gold's pawn shop, which was now completely operated by Belle, and let her look around. Regina did have a small ulterior motive in choosing this shop.

Once Regina was sure Emma was distracted looking at all the trinkets in the shop, she went over to talk to Belle.

"_That's_ Emma? Really?" Belle asked, unable to take her eyes off the child.

Regina nodded. "News travels fast, I see."

"It's a small town," Belle shrugged. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. Gold once had a necklace here, it was enchanted, and it allowed Henry to navigate the Netherworld after the sleeping curse."

Belle nodded, slowly, "yes, I remember. It's… well, the potion, is still here."

"Ok, good, I need it. For Emma."

"She's going into the Netherworld."

"No… but, she goes away when she dreams, into her old memories. I'm hoping that maybe… it will help her. A lot of those memories are… well, they're not good."

Belle nodded, understandingly, and headed off to get the potion. Regina glanced at Emma, who was busing tinkering with something she had found. Belle returned quickly with a small vile.

"I don't know if it will work, but I guess it's worth a shot," she said, handing Regina the vial. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small pendant to put the potion in.

"What do I owe you for this?"

"I don't make deals," Belle said, with a small smirk.

"I didn't mean that. This is still a store, is it not?"

Belle nodded, and looked at Emma. "She sacrificed everything for all of us. It's the least I can do."

"She did. Thank you," Regina nodded, sincerely, holding the vial tight.

As if on cue, Emma bounded over, with an antique red and gold picture frame in her hands. "Look, Gina it's perfect!"

It was hideous, but Regina couldn't help but smile at Emma's big smile.

"How much does this cost?" Emma asked, looking at Belle. "I have five dollars."

"You have no money," Regina laughed, and then she wondered if maybe Emma had a piggy bank in whatever home she was last in.

"It just costs one big smile," Belle said, winking at Emma.

"You're going to go bankrupt, running your business like this," Regina remarked.

Belle just smirked and winked at Emma. "Enjoy your picture frame. It's gonna look so nice in Regina's house."

Regina just shook her head, knowing that she was never going to hear the end of this from Henry, either. "Come on, say thank you to Belle, and let's go home."

"Thank you Belle!" Emma shouted, a little too loudly in her excitement. It wasn't even noon and Regina could tell this was going to be a long, long day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Two things :)**

**1\. For everyone who has been asking about the Charmings or wanting them interacting with Little Emma, I highly recommend you check out the story Magical Mishap by amwalsh5. It's beautifully written and too adorable for words, and it will give you the Little Emma &amp; Mama Snow fix that I never can. And, anyone who knows me or follows my stories will know, I rarely give praise for a story that is Charmings-heavy, so you KNOW that means this one is amazing ;)**

**2\. This story has no definite end in sight… it's just going to be an ongoing saga of the adventures of Little Emma ;) I'll keep on writing it as long as people keep on wanting to read it. Thanks for all the positive feedback and follows/favs … I had no idea when I started this story, it would become the most popular one I have written, to date. I should thank TheQueenAndHerSwan for asking me to write more Little Emma, otherwise this story might never have existed… so THANK YOU :)**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Emma bounded in the door the second Regina got it unlocked. Regina marvelled at how the child seemed to be on a constant sugar high, even though she hadn't had any today.

Emma raced inside and grabbed her picture, and skipped back to Regina, who was holding the hideous frame.

"Can we hang it noooooooow?" she whined, for no apparent reason.

"Emma, just ask normally," Regina said, shaking her head. She reached out for the picture from Emma, and slid it carefully into the frame. While she hated the frame itself, she noticed that the red matched the colour of Emma's infamous jacket, and she couldn't help but think it was appropriate. She decided that once Emma had returned to her full grown self, she could happily take the monstrosity of a frame home with her.

But Regina wanted to keep the picture.

"It doesn't match the décor," Regina commented, once the picture was up and they were standing back, admiring it.

"It's the first thing people are gonna look at when they come here," Emma replied, grinning.

"Yes, I believe you're right about that."

"Is it lunchtime now?" Emma asked.

"It's a little early for lunch. How about a snack?" Regina suggested, taking Emma's hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"Ice cream?" Emma asked, hopefully, as Regina lifted her up onto a stool at the kitchen island.

"Hmm, not likely. I was thinking fruit."

"I hate fruit!" Emma pouted. "I want ice cream!"

"Emma, _that_ is inappropriate," Regina scolded, making Emma pout harder.

"_You _are inappropriate," Emma said back, in a mocking tone that irritated Regina.

"Emma, if you want a snack, you need to be polite," Regina said, as calmly as she could manage.

"I _want_ ice cream, not stupid fruit," Emma replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Then you'll have nothing, and you'll wait for lunch," Regina countered.

"That's not fair!" Emma cried. "I don't think I like it here anymore."

Regina closed her eyes and resisted the urge to tell Emma if she didn't like it, she could leave. She remembered when Henry was four, and had threatened to run away when she didn't let him stay up to watch cartoons. She had told him she would gladly send him on his merry way, and even offered to help him pack. All it had taken was her standing up from the couch for him to realize he didn't really want to run away at all, and grab onto her legs.

But Emma was different. She was used to being ushered from one home to the next with no aspect of permanence. Telling her she could leave could either result in complete indifference, or a complete melt down. Neither would help this situation. Regina needed a different approach.

"Emma, I don't think I like this attitude," she said, calmly.

"I don't like YOU!" Emma shouted back.

"I don't think that's true. But that does hurt my feelings, and I think you should say sorry."

Emma continued to pout, and stared at the door of the fridge.

"Fine, you don't want to apologize? You can sit there until you do."

"I'll get down the second you leave," Emma shot back, defiantly.

"I can stand here all day," Regina said, smiling.

She had never seen this kind of behavior from Henry, but Henry had been taught respect and manners. She was well aware that everything Emma was doing now was learned behaviour. She thought about Emma drawing on the walls, and wondered if the child _liked_ getting in trouble. It occurred to her that perhaps getting in trouble was the only way Emma knew how to get attention.

Either way, this stand-off wasn't going to work. Emma was every bit as stubborn at four as she was as an adult, and Regina really had no interest in standing there all day. It was time to change her approach.

She took a few steps closer to Emma, and Emma involuntarily flinched, putting her arms up to shield her face. Regina stopped dead in her tracks, staring at her. She hadn't even touched her, but something in the way she had moved had made Emma think she was about to smack her. Or worse.

"Emma," she said, softly, pulling up a stool to sit facing the now trembling child. "I'm not going to hit you."

Emma slowly lowered her hands and peeked at Regina. She scanned her eyes for a moment, and Regina wondered if the four year old version already had her superpower. Either way, she must have decided Regina was telling the truth, because she lunged forward. Regina reacted in a split second to catch Emma before she fell right off the stool, and held her close.

No sooner was she in Regina's arms, did she start bawling. "I'm sorry, Gina. I like you and I'll be a good girl."

"You are a good girl," Regina assured her, petting her hair and squeezing her close. She held her until she calmed down, and then she reached down to cup her little face, so she could look in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, you said you had another bad dream earlier. Did the lady in that dream hit you?" she asked.

Emma nodded. "When I was bad."

"Okay, well I want you to listen to me, because this is important. I'm _never_ going to hit you, I promise. And no one in Storybrooke ever will, okay? You're safe here."

"What about when I'm not here?" Emma asked, still sniffling.

Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out the heart shaped pendant she had gotten from Belle earlier. "I got you this, to try," she said, slipping the necklace around Emma's neck. "If it works, then when you go to those places in your dreams, it will let you remember me and remember you have a safe place to come home to, okay?"

Emma nodded, playing with the necklace in her hands. "How do we know if it works?"

"We'll find out when you nap."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then I'll find another way. I won't stop trying until I do."

Emma looked down at the necklace again. The heart shaped stone was red like her picture frame, and red like the heart she had drawn in the middle of her picture.

"Can I have ice cream now?"

Regina sighed. She would have loved nothing more than to watch Emma's smile when she said yes, but it was still 10:00am and Emma still needed boundaries. And less sugar. "No, Sweetheart. But you can have fruit if you decide you don't hate it anymore."

Emma pondered that for a moment. "I don't hate it."

"I didn't think so."

Emma stuck close to Regina's legs as she cut up apple slices and grapes and put them in a bowl for her. She handed Emma the bowl and led her by the hand into the living room, where she sat her on her lap and brushed her long blond curls as she ate the fruit.

Regina couldn't help but notice her hair seemed longer than it did when they first found her, and she guessed that was a result of her rapid aging. Her hair was longer but she hadn't grown, at all, and Regina found that disturbing.

"Are my Mommy and Daddy coming here today?" Emma asked, when she finished her snack.

"This afternoon, yes," Regina replied. Emma didn't respond and Regina couldn't help but notice how indifferent to them she was. She was sure they would blame her for that.

Regina put the hairbrush down, and Emma leaned back and curled up on her lap.

"Are you sleepy, baby?" Regina asked, wrapping her arms around the tiny girl.

"I want to see if this works," Emma said, holding the pendant tight as she drifted off.

Regina stroked her hair as she drifted off, praying that it did.

_Emma woke up in a familiar bed. She remembered being here, before. She shared this room with three other girls. There were two sets of bunk beds, and she was on the bottom of one, on the side further from the door._

_It was still dark when she woke up, but she didn't know what time it was. She needed to pee – badly – and she climbed out of bed and stumbled over the toys and clothes on the floor on the way to the doorway. There was a light on in the hall, but she couldn't get out of the room due to the baby gate the mother put up at night._

_She bounced at the door for a few moments, her lip quivering. She didn't want to have an accident on the floor, but she couldn't hold it, either. She knew she wasn't allowed to wake up the mother unless it was an emergency. She didn't really know what that word meant, but she didn't think this counted._

_She had seen the older kids climb back at forth over the gate, and she wondered how hard that might be. She tried, but her little legs weren't long enough. She looked around the room in the dim light cast in from the hallway, and spotted a little plastic stool in the corner. There was something sticky all over it, but she picked it up and carried it over, anyway._

_She placed it in front of the gate and climbed up. It gave her just enough height to swing a leg over the gate, but now she was stuck. One foot was still on the stool, but the other was dangling over the side and she didn't know what to do next._

_Small, scared whimpers escaped her throat, as she realized she couldn't pull the dangling leg back over. She peeked over the side and saw that it was a far drop, when she was so little. The noise she was making was enough to wake up one of the other girls._

_"Shut up, Emma! You're gonna get us in trouble!"_

_A doll with a hard plastic head came flying across the room at her, thrown by whichever girl had just yelled at her, and Emma panicked, covering her face with her hands. She lost her balance and toppled over the gate, hitting her forehead on the tile floor below._

_She wondered if this was an emergency._

_She couldn't think as she started to wail, lying on the floor. She didn't have to pee anymore, but her head hurt bad and she couldn't stop crying. It was moments before another light was flicked on, and she could hear footsteps approaching._

_It was the mother._

_"What the hell is going on?"_

_The mother grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet._

_"I falled," Emma said, through the sobs._

_The mother rolled her eyes. "You peed yourself, you little brat."_

_Emma looked down and realized it was true, and started crying harder._

_"Get a towel and clean up this mess," the mother said, pushing Emma in the direction of the linen closet. When she finished, she dropped the towel into the laundry basket, and came back to the bedroom door, still in her wet pajamas. The mother grabbed her by the arm again, and lifted her back over the gate._

_"Change your clothes and get back into bed, and I better not hear or see you again until morning, understood?"_

_"But my head still hurts," Emma said, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to start falling again._

_"Your ass is gonna hurt if you don't shut the hell up," the mother said, turning and heading back to her room._

_Emma stood at the door for a moment, sniffling, before heading back to the big dresser that all the girls shared, and finding another pair of pajamas that belonged to her. She changed herself quietly, and climbed back into her bed._

_Something was tickling her neck, and she reached for it, thinking it was a loose string on her pajama top._

_It wasn't. It was her necklace._

_Suddenly memories of Regina and Henry and Storybrooke came flooding back to her. It was overwhelming at first, but then Emma remembered Regina telling her she would have a safe place to come home to._

_Home._

_That was a word she had never really understood before._

_It didn't matter what _this_ mother did to her, because she was going to go home to Regina, and she would make everything better._

Regina watched Emma as she stirred, restlessly, in her arms. She watched as a large goose egg appeared on her forehead, and wondered what in the hell could be happening in her memories now, as she used her magic to soothe it away.

She watched as Emma reached up and grabbed on to the pendant again in her sleep, and she hoped that meant it was working. She wanted to wake her up and find out, but she knew even if she did, these memories were waiting for her tonight, again, anyway.

Emma slept for about an hour before her eyes finally fluttered back open. Regina didn't know how many days she got back in an hour of sleep, and she knew there really wouldn't be a way of knowing until Emma was old enough to tell time and days.

"Welcome, back, Baby," Regina said, smiling down at Emma, who was blinking up at her. "Did it work? Did you remember me?"

Emma smiled and nodded, and Regina felt a wave of relief wash over her, as she hugged Emma tightly.

"The Mommy was mean, but I just thought about you," Emma explained. "I fell on my head and I had an accident, and she was mad."

"She was mad because you had an accident?" Regina asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

Emma nodded again. "She said I was a bad girl, and she made me sit in the time out closet in the morning."

Regina shuddered. "What's the time out closet?" she asked, though she was fairly certain she knew the answer.

"A chair in a closet and she locks the door and makes you think about what you did. I just thought about you instead," Emma replied, nonchalantly.

"Good girl," Regina said, squeezing her again. She suddenly found herself thinking of the adult Miss Swan, and the years she had known her. All these things, they had happened to her, and Regina had never known. Presumably, no one knew, because Emma always kept her walls up. Regina wished she had the adult Emma now, so she could hug her tight just like she was doing with the little one now.

Lord knows she needed it.

But, there would be time for that, down the road. And maybe this time around she wouldn't need it quite as much, because there would be a little more good mixed in with the bad. And maybe, thanks to this necklace, the bad wouldn't be quite as bad, this time around.

"Can we have ice cream now?" Emma asked. Regina smiled, knowing she wasn't going to hear the end of this any time soon. Part of her wanted to tell Emma she could have all the ice cream in the world, but she knew she couldn't do that.

"After lunch," Regina said. She refrained from adding 'if you're good', like she would have with Henry. This child did not need conditions attached to her promises.

"I'm not going back to that Mommy's house again," Emma said, as she climbed off Regina's lap.

"How do you know?"

"Because she dropped me off at the social worker's office. That was right before I came back to you," Emma replied.

Regina was grateful for that, at least, though she didn't know where Emma might go next. She watched Emma, quizzically, as she started hopping around on one foot. "What are you doing, Little One?" Sometimes, the name just slipped out, but Emma didn't seem to mind.

"The floor is lava," Emma said, hopping again.

"But you're on the floor," Regina pointed out. She distinctly remembered Henry playing this game, and the whole point was to _not_ touch the floor.

Emma paused for a moment, and cocked her head to one side. "I don't know how to play this game here," she admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"Your house is too clean. There's no stuff on the floor to jump on."

Regina cringed. She didn't want to imagine the state of the home Emma had just come from. She stood up and swooped Emma up into her arms. "I'll just have to save you from all the lava, then."

Emma laughed as Regina spun her around, and then carried her outside to run off the rest of her energy until lunch.

After lunch, the Charmings were coming, and Regina wondered how they were going to handle this more spirited version of Little Emma.

She also realized that this newfound pendant meant they were going to have much more spirited Emma and much less sullen Emma. As much as she was glad for that, she had to wonder how they were all going to handle it.

To her surprise, she was actually more excited than anything.

* * *

Emma sat on a stool at the kitchen island as Regina prepared lunch. Regina was too busy to noticed the intense concentration on the child's face, as she stared at the fridge door again. She turned when she heard a small poof and sensed the magic in the air, only to see Emma grinning, with ice cream in a bowl in front of her.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. Part of her wanted to scold the girl, but part of her was truly amazed that she had figured out how to conjure the ice cream from the freezer on her own, in a bowl, no less.

Emma giggled. "I did magic!"

"I see that," Regina said, picking up the bowl, "but I said _after_ lunch." She opened the freezer and put the bowl inside, as Emma crossed her arms and scowled.

"Take that pout off your face, Emma. You don't make the rules here, remember?" Regina said, as she turned back to finished preparing lunch.

She breathed a sigh of annoyance and spun back around as she heard that poof again, and once again the ice cream was on the counter.

"This isn't funny, Emma," she said, picking the bowl up again. "Do it again and you won't get any ice cream at all."

"I can't help it!" Emma insisted. "I just think about ice cream, and ice cream comes to me!"

"Then don't think about ice cream," Regina shrugged.

Emma tried. She tried to think about floor tiles and kitchen sinks and shiny counter tops, but before long she was thinking about the fridge in front of her and that fridge had a freezer and that freezer had…

"Emma!" Regina cried, as the ice cream appeared, yet again.

"It was an accident!" Emma insisted, pushing the bowl towards Regina, as proof.

Regina put the bowl in the freezer, _yet again_, and waved her hands in front of it. The door illuminated purple for a moment, and Regina turned around. "There, I sealed it with magic," she said, rolling her eyes, before returning to making lunch.

Emma wasn't sure what 'sealed' meant, but she thought it sounded an awful lot like a challenge, and she focused on the fridge door, thinking about ice cream harder than ever. It took longer this time, but sure enough, the ice cream appeared, yet again. Emma grinned.

"I see you're pleased with yourself," Regina remarked, raising an eyebrow at Emma. "If you weren't actively defying me, I might actually be impressed that you broke my spell so quickly. Magic is fueled by emotion, you know, but child, I swear yours may very well be fueled by your love of food."

Regina hid her smile as she returned the bowl to the freezer, for the fourth time. Truthfully, she _was_ impressed that Emma broke the spell. She had a suspicion that Emma's magic might very well be much, much stronger when she finally returned to normal, now that she had a chance to let it manifest at this age, in a world with magic.

Blue's comment about getting it under control before it was too late was making more and more sense all the time.

"Come on," Regina said, lifting Emma off the stool, "we'll make a picnic outside for lunch, okay? Far from the temptations of frozen treats."

"But I can still have ice cream after lunch?" Emma asked.

"I'm not sure I could stop you if I tried," Regina admitted. She regretted it once she said it, no matter how true it was. Either way, even if she didn't have magic, Emma certainly had the same knack as Henry to ask the same question over and over and over until Regina would finally give in. This persistence was definitely genetic.

Regina laid out a blanket on the grass, for herself and Emma to have their picnic. Emma sat and ate, and to Regina's relief, actually managed not to mention ice cream until she was finished.

"Now ice cream?" Emma grinned at her, once they were both done eating.

"If you can make it appear again, you can have it," Regina said, offering a challenge.

"I can't… I can't see the freezer," Emma insisted.

"You don't need to be able to see the freezer. You couldn't see the bowls in the cupboard or the ice cream inside the freezer, and you made it appear anyway. You can do it, Emma. You know where it is, just focus."

Emma scrunched up her face as she concentrated, hard. It was moments like this that Regina could really see the adult Emma in her. As much as she enjoyed the little version, it was also moments like this that she found herself missing the adult version.

It took well over a minute of undivided concentration – which Regina thought was impressive for such a young child – but Emma finally made the ice cream appear before her, bowl and all.

"Good girl," Regina said, smiling.

Emma grinned, at the ice cream, and the compliment, but her smile faded quickly. "I don't have a spoon!"

Regina thought about asking her to conjure that as well, but she wasn't sure Emma knew which drawer they were in, so she waved her hand and brought one herself, hanging it to the girl, who beamed again.

"Now, Emma, I want you to listen to me," Regina said, as Emma happily ate her ice cream. "You can use magic when you're with me, but try not to use it when you're alone with your parents, okay? Because if something goes wrong, they won't know how to fix it."

Emma looked up and pouted. "What if it's an accident?"

"Well, accidents are one thing, but no conjuring ice cream just because you feel like it, or anything like that, alright."

Emma nodded, but Regina wasn't convinced.

"Promise me, Emma."

"Ok, promise," Emma agreed.

Regina sat back and watched her eating her ice cream. It was all over her face and her shirt, but she looked so happy. A genuine smile that reached her eyes. She had so rarely seen Emma like this, and she wondered if this time now would change that in the long run. She didn't want to change who Emma was, but she figured, a little happiness couldn't hurt her. Emma spent her whole life worrying about everyone else's happiness, and Regina felt maybe it was time to return the favour.

"Hi, Emma!" Emma and Regina both looked up as Snow and David made their way around the side of the house into the backyard.

"We tried to knock, but there was no answer," David said.

"We've been out here, I didn't hear you," Regina shrugged, as she stood up.

"Look Mommy!" Emma said, jumping up and holding her necklace out to show Snow, "Regina gave me a magic necklace, so I can remember her in my bad dreams and not be scared!"

"So you can remember _Regina_," Snow said, casting a sideways glance to Regina.

"So she can remember all of this," Regina said. "She just remembered me because she was with me when she fell asleep. She'll remember you and David, too."

"Are you mad?" Emma asked, glancing back at forth between Snow and Regina. The child was perceptive, Regina had to give her that.

"No, Sweetie, of course not," Snow insisted.

Regina didn't comment as she started picking up their picnic.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, when she suddenly realized that Regina might leave her.

"Nowhere, Little One. I'm just picking up this stuff to take inside. Your parents are here to spend time with you. I'll just be inside," Regina told her, stroking her hair once before heading inside. She glanced back out the patio door to see Emma already beginning to play with David, so she headed inside to start on dishes.

She had been inside about half an hour, catching up on housework, when Snow came up behind her, startling her.

"Sorry, Regina," Snow said, as she saw her jump.

"It's alright. Is something wrong?" she asked, noting that Emma wasn't with her.

"No, everything's fine. David's playing with Emma. I just wanted to talk to you," Snow said.

"About what?" Regina asked, feeling the trepidation rising.

"Well, David and I have been talking, and… Emma needs to come home with us, sooner rather than later. I know you're worried about magic, but you're not that far away if something happens. Neither are the fairies. We want our daughter home."

Regina closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to let her emotions betray her. "I understand that," she said, coolly, "but I don't think you understand how strong her magic actually is."

"Regina, she's four," Snow scoffed, as if she thought that made a difference.

"Yes, she is. And she broke a protection spell I made today. I didn't even teach her how, she just figured it out. What if something happens and I don't get there in time?"

"Regina," Snow sighed, "I'm not trying to stop you from ever seeing her again. She needs you, to teach her magic. And she needs to see Henry, obviously, as much as possible. But she's my daughter."

"I'm not trying to be her mother," Regina retorted.

"You're not trying _not_ to be, either," Snow countered. "The simple fact of the matter is, she's our child, and David and I get the final say."

Regina sighed. She knew Snow was right, but only about she and David having the final say. Regina was sure taking Emma away was a bad decision.

She was sure they couldn't handle little magical Emma.

She was sure Emma was going to put up a fight.

She was sure they would come crawling back, asking for help, the first time Emma acted up, magical or not.

She wouldn't let herself think about how badly she wanted Emma to stay, just because she wanted her.

* * *

"Gina!" Emma's little voice squealed as she came tearing into the kitchen, David following close behind.

"What is it?" Regina asked, dropping down to a crouch before her, panic suddenly rising at the urgency of the little girl's voice.

"You have a cat!" she shrieked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I can assure you, I most certainly do not," Regina said, looking back and forth between Emma and David, perplexed.

"You do, in your yard! I saw it walking around!" Emma insisted, bouncing up and down as she talked, clearly overwhelmed with excitement.

"Well, I do hope you chased it away then. A cat has no business being in my yard," Regina said, with a smirk, as she stood up again.

"No, I didn't!" Emma cried. "Well, I _did_, but I didn't mean to. I just wanted to pet it."

"I don't want you to be petting stray animals that trespass on my property," Regina said, shaking her head. "Who knows what diseases they carry."

Snow snickered, rolling her eyes. "When did you become such an animal-hater?"

"I don't _hate_ animals," Regina retorted. "I just don't like cats. Especially not strays. Isn't Storybrooke supposed to have an animal shelter for that reason?" she asked, looking pointedly at David.

David shrugged. "I have been a little preoccupied being Sheriff. No time to volunteer at the animal shelter these days."

"Can we go to the animal shelter and get a puppy?" Emma asked, smiling up at Regina, hopefully.

"No dog is coming into this house, either. If you want a puppy, you best ask your parents," Regina smirked. She knew she probably shouldn't encourage Emma, but part of her couldn't help it.

"Thanks for that, Regina," Snow said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe we can talk about a puppy when you're a bit older, Emma."

Emma pouted. "That means no."

Snow shook her head. "It just means, not right now. But, Emma, we have something more important to talk about right now. I just talked to Regina, and we've decided that it's time for you to come home with me and Daddy. It's where you belong, and we miss you."

Regina's breath hitched in her throat. She had no idea that Snow had meant _now, _when she was talking about bringing Emma home with her.

Emma's eyes grew wide with panic, as she looked back and forth between Regina and her mother. "I don't wanna! Why can't I stay here? Gina!"

Regina sighed and crouched down again, wishing she could throttle Snow for putting her in this position. "It's alright, baby girl. You're going to go home with Mommy and Daddy, and then you can come back tomorrow for another magic lesson, okay?"

"Regina…" Snow started, but she was cut off by a quick glare from Regina.

"And then I can sleep here tomorrow?" Emma asked, pitifully.

"No, sweetheart," Regina sighed. "You're going to sleep at your home, with your parents. I'll see you during the day for magic lessons."

Emma eyes filled with tears as she threw her arms around Regina's neck. "I.. don't… wanna!"

"I know, Little One," Regina said, lifting her up, "but your home is where you belong, with your parents who love you."

"I thought you loved me!" Emma wailed, grabbing onto Regina harder.

"I do, but I'm not your Mommy, remember? Now, let's go upstairs and pack up your things, alright?"

Emma didn't answer as Regina turned to carry her up the stairs, her heart breaking with every sob that escaped the child's throat.

She hated herself for what she was doing.

She hated them for making her do it.

It wasn't fair to hate them for wanting their daughter back.

It wasn't fair to take her away.

Regina set Emma down on her bed, and sat down beside her, brushing her hair back from her face. "Emma, you know how this necklace helps you remember me when you're dreaming?" she said, holding up the heart-shaped pendant. Emma nodded. "Well, you just keep that close to your heart and remember that I'm not far away, okay? I'm not going anywhere, and you can still see me every day."

"Promise?" Emma asked, her sobs slowly.

"Promise," Regina agreed.

"If that cat comes back will you feed it?" Emma asked, as Regina stood to get a suitcase from her closet, to pack up the overabundance of clothing she had purchased for Emma.

"_That_, I will not promise," she said, with a small laugh.

"But it's _pretty!" _Emma insisted.

"I'm sure it is. It can be pretty far, far away from my home."

Emma sat back down on the bed and pouted as she watched Regina pack up her things. "Maybe I should leave some clothes here, just in case," Emma piped up.

"In case of what, darling?"

"In case…" Emma trailed off, not knowing what she could say to convince Regina.

Regina smiled, and held up a small blue dress. "This dress is in my favourite colour, did you know that?"

Emma shook her head, no.

"Well, it is. Maybe we'll leave this one here, just in case," she winked, and Emma grinned as she put the dress back. Regina came to sit with her again. "I know you're used to moving from home to home, and never seeing the last family again once you get to the new one, aren't you?"

Emma nodded, looking down.

"Well, that's not what's happening right now, okay? You're going to stay with your parents, but you're not leaving Storybrooke. We're keeping you forever, okay? Your Mommy and Daddy, Henry and Neal and Me, we're all your family and none of us are leaving you, no matter who you live with. Got it?"

Emma nodded, but continued to pout.

"What's still bothering you, Little One?"

"Henry's gonna be sad that I'm gone. He didn't get to say goodbye and now he's at school."

"What if I send Henry to your parents' house tonight, for a sleepover?" Regina suggested. Henry went back and forth between her home and the Charmings' loft so often, she knew she would be fine without clearing that with them first.

Emma smiled and nodded. "If we have Henry, then you hafta come see me again!"

"I would come see you, anyway," Regina insisted. "You couldn't keep me away if you tried."

Regina gave Emma another squeeze before picking her up and carrying her back downstairs. Once they were at the bottom, Regina waved her hand to poof Emma's suitcase and blanket to the foyer, where the Charmings were waiting, clearly ready to take their daughter home.

"I'm sending Henry to your place tonight," Regina informed Snow, as she handed off Emma. "Emma would like him to have a sleepover."

Snow nodded and smiled.

"See you soon, Little One," Regina said, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead, before her aparents took her home.

Once they were gone, Regina sighed and looked around her house. It felt big and empty and quiet again, and it was unsettling. The silence was broken moments later though, but a small mewling at her patio door. She turned to see a charcoal coloured cat with a white tuff on its chest, scratching at her door.

"Get!" Regina hissed, swatting at the door. The cat took off in the other direction, and Regina watched as it disappeared.

"I swear, Emma, if you enchanted that cat to pester me…" Regina mumbled to herself. On one hand, the idea that Emma would know how to do that seemed preposterous. On the other, she was learning magic at an alarmingly fast rate, and most seemed to be self-taught.

But Regina was damned if she would be acquiring a cat in this lifetime.

* * *

Henry had been reluctant to go over to his grandparents when Regina had told him about Emma's recent move. He was worried about how Regina was going to handle being alone and missing Emma, but Regina managed to convince him Emma needed him more than she did. It was true, and Regina also knew Henry badly wanted to be with Little Emma as much as possible.

She missed the little girl, but she was also grateful for a night of peace, sleeping alone in her bed, no nightmares to soothe. She tried not to think about nightmares, unsure of how Snow and David would handle them. At least Emma had her necklace, she reminded herself.

It was shortly after 3:00am when Regina woke with a start, her eyes fluttering open to meet green ones, staring down at her.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "What… how?" She shook her head, trying to force the sleepy fogginess away.

"I did magic," Emma explained. "I just thought of you, and then I was here."

Regina closed her eyes for a moment, processing. "You learned how to poof."

Emma grinned, looking very pleased with herself, but her expression faded as Regina reached for her phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling your parents," Regina explained. "You can't just disappear in the middle of the night. If they wake up and find you missing, they'll panic."

Emma pouted and listened as Regina explained to one of her parents – she wasn't sure which one had answered the phone – about what Emma had just done.

"Don't be upset with me, Emma," Regina said, as she ended the call. "I have to take you home."

"I want to stay here!" Emma wailed again.

"I understand that, but you don't live here." Regina explained, again. She had forgotten how much repeating was involved when dealing with a preschooler. "So how about we make a deal. You be a good girl, and stay with your parents, and I'll talk to them about maybe letting you have a sleepover here, soon, okay?"

Emma considered that for a moment, before reluctantly agreeing.

"Good girl," Regina smiled, as she waved her hands to poof herself back into clothing, from her pajamas. "Now I'm taking you home." She waved her hands again, this time poofing herself and Emma to the Charmings' loft, in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Emma!" Snow cried, grabbing her and picking her up the moment they appeared. "Thank you for bringing her back, Regina."

"Not a problem," Regina sighed, trying to hide how exhausted she felt. "Now, you be a good girl, Emma, and I will see you tomorrow." Regina said, as she moved to poof herself home again.

"Wait! Regina," Snow called, stopping her. "Is there a way you can… I don't know, block Emma's magic so she can't do that again."

"I could, but…" Regina paused momentarily, looking at the panicked expression on Emma's face. She had spent too long trying to show Emma that magic was okay and normal, she couldn't send her mixed signals about it now. "But I'm not going to, unless it's absolutely necessary, which I don't think it is. Emma's not going to do that again, are you Emma?"

Emma shook her head. "No, I be good."

"Good," Regina smiled. "Good night." She didn't wait to see if Snow would protest again, before poofing herself home again.

Back at her house, Regina headed into the kitchen for a glass of water before returning to bed. While there, she heard a scratching, and that familiar, annoying mewling at her door. "Get!" she cried, more forcefully than the last time, swatting at the door again. Again, the cat took off.

"Emma, I swear…" Regina mumbled, again. She stopped herself, thinking how happy Emma would be if she let that cat in.

No.

No cat.

Never.

Regina sighed, and went to bed, hoping this was the last she would see of that damned cat.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

_"Regina, is Emma with you?" _Snow's voice came through the phone, panicked.

"No! Why on earth would she be with me?" Regina demanded, standing up from her desk in her Mayoral office. "I'm at work."

_"She was with me at the diner, and she just poofed away. I assumed she went to you. If she didn't then…"_

"Alright, don't panic," Regina said, trying to keep herself calm as well, "she's new at poofing. She probably doesn't know how to get to me when she doesn't know where I am. She's probably at my house. Hold on."

Regina kept Snow on the line as she poofed herself back home. Sure enough Emma's shoes were strewn on the floor in the hallway.

"Oh, she's here, alright," Regina sighed.

_"Oh, thank God,"_ Snow replied, the relief evident in her voice.

"Why don't I keep her for a bit," Regina suggested. "She needs another magic lesson… clearly one on poofing appropriately.

_"Ok,"_ Snow agreed, reluctantly_. "Just… call when you're finished."_

Once she was off the line, Regina set about looking for her little intruder.

"Emma! I'm not in the mood for hide and seek! Come out here this instant!" Regina called, as she walked through the seemingly empty house. As she passed by the patio door, she noted that it was minus one stray cat, which she had shooed away _twice_ that morning. She wondered if it finally got the hint.

As she came back out into the foyer, she was met by Emma bounding down the stairs.

"I wasn't hiding!" she insisted, as she ran up and wrapped her little arms around Regina's legs.

Regina forced herself to keep a serious look on her face, as she crouched down in front of Emma, meeting her at eye level. Emma seemed to pick up on the fact that Regina was upset with her, and tried to look away, but Regina caught her little chin in her hand.

"Look at me, please, Emma," she said, firmly.

Emma blinked up at her.

"You made a promise, last night, that you wouldn't do this again, remember?"

Emma nodded, sticking her lip out into a pout.

"Then why did you break your promise?"

Emma's lip began to quiver. "I just… I can't help it! I think about you and I miss you and then I'm here!" As soon as the words were out, the tears followed.

Regina sighed. As frustrating as this all was, she knew she couldn't be upset with Emma over something that she really probably couldn't control. She reached around her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's alright, Emma, I'm not mad. But your mother was very worried about you, and we're going to have to work on your control, alright?"

Emma sniffled and nodded against Regina's neck.

"So you're going to stay here with me this afternoon and we're going to do just that."

Emma backed away a bit and grinned. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Regina nodded. "But for a magic lesson, no funny business. Got it?"

Emma nodded, and then reached into the pocket of her little jeans. "I bringed you a present," she said.

Regina raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the world this child could be bringing her. She just hoped, whatever it was, it wasn't alive.

Emma pulled a silver chain from her pocket, with a familiar swan pendant hanging from it.

"Emma," Regina said, looking at the pendant swinging gently in front of her, "that's _your_ necklace."

"I know! I found it in a box of things that Mommy said are mine. All the things are grown up clothes, mostly, but I found this and I want to give it to you."

Regina smiled. "That's very sweet, Emma, but I think you might miss it if you give it to me. You might not remember it now, but you love this necklace."

Emma shrugged. "You gave me a necklace so I could remember you. I want to give you this so you remember me!"

Regina could feel tears burning in the corners of her eyes as she hugged Emma again. "I couldn't forget you if I tried."

Emma insisted on trying to push the necklace into Regina's hand, and Regina knew she wasn't going to stop until she accepted it. "Tell you what, Baby Girl. I'll wear this for now, and when you want it back, you tell me, alright?"

Emma grinned and nodded as Regina put the necklace around her neck. She placed her hand over the pendant and closed her eyes for a moment, as images of Emma's self-sacrifice nearly five months ago flooded back to her. She felt a few of those tears start to fall.

"Why are you sad, Gina?" Emma asked, suddenly very concerned.

Regina smiled. "I'm not sad. These are happy tears, I promise."

Emma grabbed on to Regina's hand as they headed to the backyard to practice magic. Regina tried to teach Emma about aiming for a specific destination when she was poofing, and how to _not_ use magic, even when she couldn't stop thinking about something. She wasn't sure how much of the lesson she was actually retaining, since it was advanced material, but Regina was mostly just grateful that the damn cat never showed up, and that Emma seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Or so she thought.

Once Emma had had enough and they headed back inside, Regina could hear the mewling again. This time, it was coming from _inside_ the house.

The paused and closed her eyes, counting to ten silently in her head.

"Emma," she said, once she had cooled down a bit, "is there a reason that I hear a cat in here?"

Emma shrugged a little and mumbled something inaudible.

"Pardon?" Regina asked.

"I _said_," Emma started, in a whiny voice, "Kitty Soft Paws was sad and she asked me to let her in."

"Kitty Soft Paws?"

Regina heard the distinct sound of Henry's laugh as he entered the room, having just come home from school. "She couldn't stop talking about cats last night," Henry shrugged, "so we watched _Puss In Boots_."

"Kitty Soft Paws is his girlfriend!" Emma exclaimed, grinning.

"Kitty Soft Paws is a stray," Regina corrected, "and it's going back outside."

"_She!"_ Emma insisted.

"It," Regina said again. "Henry, you played into this cat fixation, you get to help me find it."

Henry laughed again, and Emma gave him an impish grin as Regina took off in the direction of the cat's meowing.

"Don't help her," Emma whispered, "if she can't find it then she has to let it stay."

"Emma!" Henry laughed, "you might think you're sneaky, but you're not going to get away with keeping a cat in this house. Trust me!"

It didn't take long for Regina to find the cat, backed away under her dresser, inside her bedroom where the door had been strategically shut, in a clear attempt to keep the cat in. She knelt down on the floor and peered at the cat, wondering for a moment – just a fleeting moment – if she should just let Emma keep it. She reached underneath to grab it, only to have it scratch her mercilessly.

She sighed and looked at it directly in the eye. "Just know that I hate you," she hissed at it, as she waved her hands and placed it under a temporary enchantment, to assure that it was docile enough for her to pick up and carry back downstairs.

"She likes you!" Emma squealed, when she saw Regina carrying the cat.

"The skin on my arms would beg to differ," Regina said, putting the cat back outside.

Emma sighed and pouted, heading over to the glass door and dropping to the ground in front of it, sitting cross legged and tracing her finger on the glass, for the cat to chase.

"That cat's paws are anything but soft," Regina said, holding her wrist up to reveal the deep red scratches.

Henry laughed, in spite of himself. "Come on, Mom. You can heal those away."

"That's not the point. And I'm not healing them to remind myself why having a cat is a ridiculous idea."

"If you need the scratches to remind you, does that mean you're considering it?"

"In a brief moment of insanity the thought may have crossed my mind. Then this happened," she said, referring to the cuts, once again.

"I think you're being a little dramatic, don't you? And look how happy she is," Henry said, gesturing to Emma, still playing with the cat through the glass door.

"Perhaps your grandparents would be interested in acquiring a pet, then."

"But, Mom, if _you_ have it, you know she's just gonna want to come here more, and I somehow doubt you would mind."

"No, Henry. It's not fair to toy with her affections like that. Besides, she already wants to be here anyway. She's poofed herself here, twice, already."

Before they could continue, there was a knock at the door.

"Emma, come on, that's your parents," Regina said, ushering the girl away from the cat.

Emma pouted. "By Kitty Soft Paws. Come back tomorrow!" she called through the door, before looking up at Regina. "If she's hungry tonight, can you feed her? Please?"

Regina sighed. "I'll think about it."

Emma beamed as she bounded down the hall to the front door, nearly toppling down the stairs in the entryway, to let her parents in.

"Mommy! Daddy! Kitty Soft Paws came back again!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

Snow smiled as David scooped their daughter up, patting her on the head and kissing her cheek, before coming over to Regina.

"Thanks, for watching her today," she said. "Please tell me you got her poofing under control."

"I'm trying," Regina insisted, "it's rare for magic to be this strong when she's so young. But she'll be alright."

"Is that… Emma's necklace?" Snow asked, noting the pendant sitting on Regina's chest.

"She wants me to wear it to remember her," Regina explained, putting her hand over the pendant again. Snow opened her mouth to say something, but Regina continued. "I'll give it back to her when she remembers it's hers. For now, I'm not going to deny a four year old a gift she wants to give me."

Snow nodded, reluctantly. "I'll bring her back tomorrow afternoon for another lesson, then?"

Regina nodded, and stepped over to say goodbye to Emma, kissing her on the forehead.

Even though she still missed Emma when she wasn't around, Regina enjoyed a chance to have a nice dinner and a movie night with her son. One on one time had become so rare with Emma around, and she was cherishing every moment.

Once he was off to bed, Regina headed to the kitchen to finish up the dishes before she went to bed herself. When she was done, to her dismay, Regina heard the mewling, yet again, as she was about to ascend the stairs for bed. She sighed, and tried to ignore it, but it was so loud and pathetic, that before she knew what she was doing, she was back at the patio door, crouched down, looking at the cat.

"You like the girl, don't you?" she asked the cat, through the glass door.

The cat meowed again, and scratched at the glass.

"I like her too," Regina sighed, as she opened the door and the cat stepped inside. "And she likes you, apparently."

The cat rubbed up against her ankle as she slid the door shut again, and bend down to pick it up, holding it up to look it in the eye.

"I'm warning you, Kitty Razor Claws, you scratch me again, and I will scratch back. Understood?"

The cat purred, and Regina sighed, putting it down again and watching it stalk off into the living room. "That goes for the furniture, too, you little demon!" she called after it.

She shook her head as she headed up the stairs. "Emma Swan, the _second_ you are back to adulthood, you are taking that damn cat back."

* * *

The next morning, Regina woke up before the sun, to the feeling of pressure on her chest. She blinked a couple times, expecting to see Emma's large green eyes, but instead, was met with the cold, yellow eyes of a cat she momentarily forgot she had let in side.

"Ugh," she groaned, closing her eyes for a moment, as the cat mewled at her, and pawed at her cheek – thankfully, without claws, this time.

"No! No, absolutely not," she said, pushing the cat off of her and onto the floor. Kitty Soft Paws just stared up at her for a moment, and jumped right back up, purring loudly.

"I see you listen about as well as Emma," Regina sighed, pushing the cat off again, and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She pulled on her robe, and headed downstairs, the cat close in tow.

"What? You want to go outside now?" Regina asked, as the cat pawed at the door. She slid the door open a little, allowing the cat to run out, but left it open, in case it decided to come back in. She glanced at the clock as she started the coffee maker: 5:56am.

She realized, for the first time since waking, that Emma had managed not to poof herself back in the night. She knew she should be happy about this, since she had asked her to promise to stop, but for some reason she found herself a little sad about it. She sighed as she took her coffee over to the table and sat down, mentally preparing herself for a long day of being tired.

Regina sipped at her coffee and pored over her magic books, trying to decide on some sort of structured lesson plan for Emma that day. She got wrapped up in that, making notes and refilling her coffee cup – twice – until Kitty Soft Paws made her next appearance, nearly an hour later. On Regina's table.

"Off," Regina said, looking at the cat pointedly. The cat responded by sitting down.

"Off!" Regina repeated, with more force this time, pointing at the floor.

The cat stared.

"Get down," she said, finally standing and lifting the cat from the table, and putting it down on the floor. She pointed at finger at it. "This, is where you belong. We have manners in this house, understood?"

"Oh my God!" Henry laughed from the kitchen. Regina's eyes shot up, and her face flushed with embarrassment at her son seeing her speaking to a cat. "You just went from zero to full-blown crazy cat lady over night!"

"I did not-" Regina was cut short as the cat decided to hop onto her lap, and make herself at home there. "This is not down," she said, pushing the cat off again.

"Emma's right," Henry grinned, "she likes you."

"Emma is going to be minus one cat if this one doesn't start listening," Regina insisted.

"I think you like her," Henry teased, as he sat down with his cereal and milk. When he was half way through eating, the cat jumped back up on the table again, and started lapping the milk up from the bowl.

"Henry! Don't let her do that!" Regina cried, shooing the cat away with her hands.

"Oh, she's a 'her' now? Not an 'it'?"

"That means nothing," Regina insisted.

Moments later, an all-too-familiar voice rang through from the foyer. "Kitty Soft Paws!"

Regina closed her eyes and sighed. Apparently Emma had just been a little late in breaking her promise today.

Regina stood and walked out into the foyer, where Emma sat, hugging the cat.

"Emma," Regina said, causing Emma to jump a little. "What did I say about poofing to me without permission?"

Emma looked up, still grinning, hugging the cat. "I didn't! I poofed to Kitty Soft Paws! And she's here!"

"You're not supposed to be poofing, anywhere, period," Regina reminded her, crouching down to meet her as close to eye level as possible.

"But Mommy and Daddy went to work and I don't wanna stay with a babysitter!" Emma wailed, sticking her lip out in a big pout, for emphasis.

Regina sighed. The kid had a point. What good was it for her to be with a babysitter when Regina was here, and willing to watch her. She didn't even want them to take her away in the first place.

"Be that as it may," Regina said, trying to keep her voice firm. "You can't leave without permission."

Regina stood up and went to grab her phone, and made a call to Granny at the Charmings' loft, to let her know where the wayward little girl had gotten off to. Granny seemed relieved, having thought that Emma had hidden herself in some cupboard somewhere. Regina told her not to worry, she'd be keeping the girl for the day. She then texted Snow.

'I have your child.'

_'Which one?'_

Regina closed her eyes and sighed.'

'The one who is able to move about Storybrooke of her own volition. I'm keeping her until you're done work.'

_'I was kidding… She's fine with Granny.'_

'Evidently not.'

Snow didn't text again, and Regina took that as her acceptance that Regina would not be returning Emma to Granny that day.

"Come along, child," Regina said, holding her hand out to Emma.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked, hesitating to reach for Regina, in case she wanted to send her back to her babysitter.

"We are going to drop Henry off at school, and then we are going to buy some supplies for this little pest of yours," Regina said, wiggling her fingers a little to coax Emma to get up and take her hand.

"She's not a pest! She's beautiful!" Emma insisted, jumping up to grab Regina's hand.

"Her appearance has no bearing on her behaviour. And if she destroys one thing in this house while we're gone, she will find herself as Kitty Homeless Paws once again."

Emma turned back to the cat, who looked at her, expectantly. "Kitty, be good!" she instructed, as Regina led her out the door.

Emma stared longingly out the window at the school as Regina was dropping Henry off.

"What's the matter, Little One?" she asked, as she started driving towards the pet store.

"When can I go to school?"

Regina sighed and looked at Emma in the rearview mirror. She was getting bigger – Regina had had to used magic to stretch the clothes she appeared in today, and she was going to have to do the same with the rest she had at the Charmings' loft.

"I supposed you must be nearly five now?" Regina hazarded a guess. Emma nodded. "Well, I supposed kindergarten is something I'll have to speak with your mother about tonight," Regina sighed, wondering how on earth they would put Emma in school, when she would outgrow her grade every month.

Emma was beyond excited when they pulled up to the Storybrooke Pet Store.

"You listen to me," Regina said, as she unstrapped Emma from her carseat. "We are here to get food and a collar for your cat. No other animals will be coming home with us, so don't even ask, understood?"

Emma nodded, though she clearly didn't understand.

"Gina! Look! Can we get a hamster?" Emma squealed, the second they were inside.

"God, no!" Regina said, rolling her eyes. "Come on, we're here for cat food."

"Gina! Fishies! Please?" Emma trailed her hands over the various aquariums with brightly coloured tropical fish on display.

"Absolutely not," Regina replied, as she grabbed a bag of cat food from the other aisle. "Come over here and find your cat a bowl, please."

Emma hurried over and studied the array of cat food dishes. After several minutes, Regina found herself wishing she had just picked one herself. Finally, Emma picked up a shiny black bowl with tiny rhinestones.

"Seriously?" Regina asked.

Emma grinned and nodded. "It matches your house," she explained.

"I see. How very thoughtful of you. Now let's go found a collar."

"A snake!" Emma cried, pressing her face up against the glass of a ball python's terrarium as they headed to the collar section. "Pul-eeeease Regina!"

"If there's one thing I hate more than cats, it's snakes. Did you forget that I told you not to ask for any other animals?" Regina reminded her.

"I don't want Kitty Soft Paws to be lonely," Emma shrugged, as she followed Regina to the collars.

"I assure you, she'll be anything but," Regina said, pointing at the collars. "Which one?"

Emma was quicker with this decisions, picking out a pink faux-suede collar with a little bell and more rhinestones.

"Charming," Regina said, as Emma tossed the collar on top of the bag of food and took off further down the aisle.

"Look, Gina!" she cried pointing at something on the shelf. "Kitty Soft Paws needs a bed!"

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes. Yesterday, she had sworn that cat was never coming inside. Today, she was buying food and bowl, a collar, a bed, several toys and bags of cat treats.

"This cat is spoiled," Regina remarked, as she loaded the cat's new things into the car before strapping Emma back into her seat.

"She was lost like me," Emma said, smiling as she leaned back into her carseat. "You saved us both."

Regina felt a pang in her heart at those words. She had never looked at it that way. She never expected Emma to relate herself to a stray cat, but in a way, her childlike analogy made perfect sense. Regina sighed as she got back into her seat, knowing that even if that cat had torn her entire house apart by the time she got home, there was no way she would be sending it away. Not after that.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

To Regina's surprise – and delight – the cat appeared not to have moved since Emma had told it to be good.

"Look, Gina, she was a good girl!" Emma cried out, delighted, as she bounded in the door and scooped up the cat.

Regina knelt down and pulled the collar out of the bag, fastening it around the cat's neck. "Now I can hear you coming," she said, narrowing her eyes on the cat, "no more sneaking up on me."

Emma giggled and hugged the cat, sitting on floor. Regina just watched her for a moment, her face filled with pure bliss.

"Are you happy, Little One?" she asked, even though the answer was obvious.

Emma nodded. "I never stayed in a place long enough to have a pet," she said, smiling at Regina over the top of the cat's head.

"Well, like I said, Storybooke is your forever home," Regina reminded her. "Kitty Soft Paws can stay with me, but you can see her every day."

"As long as I get permission?" Emma asked.

"Precisely. Now, we have to have a magic lesson today," Regina said, as she started to stand. She stopped when she noticed the pout forming on Emma's lips. "What's wrong?"

"All we ever do is have magic lessons now," Emma said. "I want to just hang out with you."

"You want me to be your friend and not your teacher?" Regina guessed. Emma nodded. "Alright, what would you like to do then?"

Emma crouched down and pretended that Kitty Soft Paws was whispering in her ear. She nodded, looking serious, and then looked back at Regina. "Kitty Soft Paws wants you to watch _Puss In Boots _with me."

"Oh, does she now?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma nodded, looking serious as ever. "She thinks if you see her story, you'll like her better."

"I see," Regina said, taking Emma buy the hand and leading her into the living room, the cat following like Emma's little shadow. Regina sat down, Emma on her lap, and covered them both in a blanket and she pulled up Netflix and found the movie. The cat sat on the floor, and watched them.

"_Diablo Gato,"_ Regina commented, part way into the movie, "that would have been an appropriate name."

Emma didn't respond – not that she likely new what _diablo gato_ meant, anyway – and Regina looked down to see that she was fast asleep. She went to turn off the movie, but Kitty Soft Paws chose that moment to jump on the couch, and curl up against her leg.

"Oh, I see how it is," Regina said, stroking the cat's fur, in spite of herself. "Fine, I'll watch your movie, but don't think it's going to make me like you."

Regina sighed and leaned back into the couch, one arm holding Little Emma securely against her, and the other resting on the cat's admittedly soft fur.

"When did I become such a pushover?" she wondered out loud, marvelling at the fact that this was what her life had become.

* * *

Regina opened her eyes and glanced at the TV screen. Netflix was asking if she was still there, and she realized she must have fallen asleep before she got to see the end of Kitty Soft Paws' riveting story. How unfortunate.

She sighed and lifted her hand to stroke Emma's hair, when she realized her lap was notably short one three foot blonde. Panic shot through her, momentarily, as she wondered if Emma had gone outside, or worse, poofed herself somewhere, but with her rational mind she was vaguely aware that she could sense Emma's magic in the house, and she hadn't gone far.

As she set off to find the child, Regina realized just how often she had to go looking for this Emma. With the old Emma, she had quite the opposite problem – the woman was _always_ around, even when she didn't want her. Never in her life would Regina had believed that she would spend _this_ much time looking for her.

She supposed it was alright so long as she never attached an annoying catch phrase to it, like the Charmings had.

From the foyer, Regina could hear Emma's little voice upstairs, presumably talking to the cat, and she was relieved. Emma hadn't taken off and hidden, she was just playing. Before long, Regina discovered her in the guest room she had originally tried to get her to sleep in, sitting on the floor, the entire bag of new cat toys dumped out. Regina was suddenly aware that the cat had an abundance of toys, and Emma had none. This would have to be rectified, sooner rather than later.

"Hi, there, Little One," Regina said, as she entered the room. She noted that the cat's new bed was also in the room, as well as an open bag of cat treats.

"Hi Gina!" Emma beamed up at her.

"You look very happy," Regina commented, as she sat down on the guest bed.

"Um… Kitty Soft Paws and I were talking…." Emma said, biting her bottom lip and looking at Regina out of the corner of her eyes.

"And….?" Regina prompted, having no idea where this might be going. She hoped it wasn't another attempt to lobby for a new friend for the cat.

"Yeah, and… we think that you should give us this room," Emma said, nodding at the cat, as if the cat had an actual opinion on the matter.

"Oh, I see…" Regina nodded. "You and the cat would like to have your own room?"

"I have a room and Mommy and Daddy's," Emma pointed out.

"Yes, but you live there," Regina reminded her.

"But…. I kind of live here, too," Emma pointed out. "And you have lots of rooms. I only want one."

Regina couldn't help but smile. "I see… well, I suppose that might be alright." Regina didn't want to admit that before the Charmings had taken Emma back, she had already been planning on converting one of the guest rooms for the child. She was sure Snow would have a comment to make, on the subject of giving Emma her own room was 'not trying _not_ to be her mother', but she didn't particularly care.

"Well, I guess we'll have to get you some new things for your room, won't we? And paint the walls… what colour would you like?"

"Pink!" Emma squealed, jumping up and climbing onto Regina's lap. She wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and hugged her tight. "Thank you, Gina."

Regina hugged her back. "Apparently, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Little One," Regina said, shaking her head at the thought.

Regina heard Emma's little tummy grumbling, and glanced at the clock. "How about lunch at Granny's, then we'll go get paint?"

"Can't we just use magic to make the walls pink?" Emma asked, leaning back to look at Regina, and scrunching her nose in confusion.

"We could… but where's the fun in that?"

After a quiet – and surprisingly uneventful - lunch at Granny's, Regina took Emma over to the hardware store for paint. She picked out a shade of pink that Regina thought was horrendous, but Emma thought would match Kitty Soft Paws' collar perfectly, and Regina told herself silently that she could just keep the door to that room shut, and it would be fine.

She purchased the paint, along with brushes and rollers and painter's tape and drop sheets. She had never actually painted a room – she always hired someone when the mansion needed updating – but she was pretty sure she could handle this. Plus, she figured it would be a good memory to give little Emma.

Back at the mansion, Regina put Kitty Soft Paws outside, much to Emma's objection.

"I do _not _need her getting into the paint and tracking pink footprints all over my carpets," Regina insisted as Emma pouted at looked at the cat through the glass door. "Emma, she'll come back in when we're done."

Regina flicked her hand at the cat, putting a small enchantment on it, ensuring it would not run away.

Upstairs, Regina pulled Emma's hair into a ponytail and put one of her plain, white t-shirts on her, effectively covering all of Emma's clothing and protecting it from the paint. She changed herself into a plain t-shirt and yoga paints – ones that she specifically reserved for heavy duty cleaning and never let anyone see her wear, until now – and threw her own hair in a ponytail, before leading Emma back across the hall.

In the guest room – soon to be Emma's room – Regina waved her hands and temporarily vanished all the furniture, as that was easier than trying to move and cover it. Emma helped her roll out the plastic drop cloth, and then crawled and rolled around all over it while Regina set about lining every edge with the painter's tape.

She then stirred up the paint and poured it onto the roller tray. She handed Emma a small roller, and showed her how to apply paint, and then how to put that paint on the wall. Regina had watched enough home design shows during the twenty eight years of the curse to have a general idea of how painting worked, and she surprised herself by how good she actually was at it.

By the time they finished everything they could reach without a ladder, Emma had pink paint in her hair, on her face, on her hands and somehow all over her feet, and she stepped around leaving pink footprints on the plastic. It gave Regina and idea.

She waved her hands and produced a large piece of white cardstock, and put it on the floor. Emma regarded her, quizzically, as she motioned for her to come over.

"We're going to make a special art project," Regina said, taking one of Emma's little hands and applying pink paint to it with a paintbrush. "Press your hand right here," she said, pointing at the paper.

Emma giggled and did what she was asked, leaving a perfect handprint. They did the same with one of Emma's feet, and then Regina picked up the paper. "We'll leave this to dry, then you can write your name and your age, and we'll always remember how little your hands and feet were."

Emma started to stand up, but Regina held up her palm, to stop her. "Don't move until I come back," she said, as she stepped into the guest room's en suite bathroom and started filling the tub. She placed the paper on the counter to dry, and stepped back into the bedroom. With a wave of her hands, the pink paint covered all the spots that were too high to reach, and also evened out some of Emma's handiwork.

She peeled off Emma's paint stained clothing and carried her into the bathroom, depositing her straight into the tub. Emma had gotten so much paint on her, that it seeped through the white t-shirt and through the shirt underneath, and her little body was specked with pink all over.

"I guess it's a good thing we kept some clothes here, just in case," Regina remarked, as she started scrubbing the paint off of Emma's skin.

Emma giggled. "It's a good thing I'm so smart!"

"Yes, I believe you are correct," Regina winked, and Emma grinned wider. Regina wondered if anyone in Emma's real past had ever taken the time to tell Emma she was intelligent, or anything, really, that would have boosted her self-esteem. She guessed not, and it explained a lot.

"Tomorrow, Baby Girl," Regina said, as she began to wash the paint out of Emma's hair, "we'll get you some new things for your room, alright? A new bedspread, and curtains, and maybe some toys. How does that sound?"

Emma's face lit up. "My _own_ toys?"

"Yes, of course."

"I never had my own toys before!" Emma squealed, bouncing in the tub in her excitement, and splashing bubbly water in Regina's face.

Regina sighed and wiped the bubbles from her cheek as Emma burst out laughing. "Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" Regina asked, picking up a handful of bubbles and dropping them on Emma's cheek. Emma laughed louder and splashed Regina.

"Ok, let's not go overboard," Regina said, wiping her face again. Emma's smile faded and she stared at Regina intently. "What is it, Emma?"

"I love you, Gina," she said, with an intense seriousness.

Regina smiled and stroked her cheek. "I love you too, Emma."

Emma stood up in the tub before Regina could stop her, and hugged her wet little body against Regina's, soaking her clothing. Regina didn't protest, just simply stood, lifting Emma up, and wrapped her in a towel.

"I wish you would keep me forever," Emma said, nuzzling her face into Regina's neck.

Regina cupped Emma's face, and moved and moved her back so she could look at her. "I promise to keep you right here," she said, pointing at her heart. "Forever."

Emma smiled again, and nuzzled Regina's neck again.

And Regina wished she could keep her forever.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Emma ran to the front door to let her mother in the second she heard the knock. She was jumping up and down with pure excitement as she grabbed Snow's hand and dragged her into the house.

"Look! Look!" Emma cried, pointing at the cat, who was now back inside, curled up on Regina's sofa in the living room.

"You got her a cat?" Snow asked, looking at Regina, a little accusingly.

"No, not exactly," Regina said. "It was hanging around the yard and Emma liked it, so we let it in."

"Her name is Kitty Soft Paws and I love her and Regina said she can live here and we bought her a bed and a collar and… oh and I have to show you something else!" Emma exclaimed, barely taking a moment to breathe before she turned to drag Snow up the stairs. Regina followed behind, wondering what Snow was going to think of Emma having her own room at the mansion.

"Look!" Emma cried again, throwing the door open to her bedroom.

"Wow, that's very… pink," Snow said, looking around the room. The colour was pretty intense when the room was empty of all furniture. Regina held out hope that come curtains and decorations would tame it, at least a little.

"It's _my_ room!" Emma smiled. "Gina and I painted it today and tomorrow she's gonna get me new curtains and bedspread and _toys_!"

Snow turned to Regina. "Why… um, why do you think Emma would need a room at your house."

Regina shrugged. "She wanted one." She decided not to mention that with the rate Emma was poofing back to her, it was quite evident where she really wanted to be.

Snow turned back to her daughter. "Emma, you already have a bedroom. And toys."

"Now I have two bedrooms! And those are Neal's toys! I want my _own _toys!" Emma insisted.

"Well, honey, you know I would get you anything you wanted, don't you?" Snow asked, smiling hopefully at her daughter.

Emma shifted from one foot to the other, glancing back and forth between Regina and Snow. "Why can't I have two rooms? It's Gina's house and she said I could. She has lots of rooms."

"Emma, why don't you go play with Kitty and let me talk to Mommy for a minute," Regina suggested. Emma nodded reluctantly and trudged back down the stairs.

"Regina, what are you trying to do here?" Snow asked, the moment Emma was out of earshot.

"I'm not trying to do anything but make her happy," Regina retorted, as she thought that much should be blatantly obvious.

"She's not your daughter," Snow insisted.

"Yes, and Henry's not your son, but you act like another mother to him, don't you?"

"That's different. I love Henry, and he's my grandson," Snow replied.

"And I care about Emma. She was my friend, before, and now she's in a position where she needs as many people on her side as she can get. I'm not trying to infringe on your rights as her mother, but she needs me, too."

"Regina," Snow sighed.

"No," Regina cut her off, before she could continue whatever diatribe she was about to embark on. "I let you and your husband try to push me out of Henry's life after the curse broke, because I thought I didn't deserve him. But he's _my_ son, and you tried to take him away. You wanted to take him back to the Enchanted Forest and leave me here, if you recall? You would have been perfectly happy to have me out of his life, for good."

"Well, it wasn't without just cause," Snow reminded her, but her voice was a little timid this time.

"Yes, actually, it was. Despite our history, I never did anything to hurt Henry, and I never made any attempt to remove you from his life, when I would have been well within my legal rights to do so. And the reason I didn't, was because having you and David and Emma in his life was important to him, and it was what was best for him. You, dear, need to think about what's best for Emma."

Snow sighed, and looked back at the pink bedroom, before meeting Regina's gaze again. "Even so, I can't help but think how it was your fault I missed out on her childhood the first time around. And now it feels like you're taking her away, again."

"I never took her from you," Regina countered. "You made that choice."

"Gina?" Emma's little voice caught them both by surprise, and the women spun around to see Emma sitting on the stairs, holding her cat tight, staring at them with wide, worried eyes. "Why are you and Mommy fighting?"

"We're not," Regina said, stepping over to the stairs and sitting beside Emma. "We're just talking, and it got a little heated. I'm sorry, Little One."

"Come on, Emma, let's get going so we can have dinner, alright?" Snow said, the tension still evident in her voice. Regina knew this was far from over.

"I don't want to," Emma pouted, looking at Regina.

"It's time to go home, Emma," Regina said, firmly. "Kitty Soft Paws will be here waiting for you tomorrow. Why don't you go let her out, and I'll feed her dinner later, alright?"

Emma nodded, and headed slowly back down the stairs again.

"Why don't you just let me watch her, rather than leaving her with Granny?" Regina suggested, turning back to Snow.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well, you know she's just going to poof herself here, anyway, and it's not my job to return her constantly. It makes her happy, and she needs to work on her magic," Regina said, as she turned to head down the stairs.

"Fine," Snow sighed, as she followed behind. She glanced at the picture in the ugly red frame and shook her head, without comment, as she walked by.

Regina stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and turned back to Snow. "Look, I understand, more than most, what it's like to have your child want to be with someone else. I don't think there's much that could hurt worse than that. But you really need to stop blaming me for it, and think about what's best for Emma in this situation."

"Yeah, you said that already," Snow said, walking past Regina to fetch her daughter from her spot at the glass door, where she was waving to her cat.

"Bye, Gina!" Emma said, hugging her legs tight before she turned to follow her mother out of the house. "Don't forget to feed Kitty Soft Paws! And she said to tell you she wants to sleep in your bed tonight."

"Well, you can tell her from me, 'keep dreaming'," Regina said with a laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow, Baby Girl."

Tomorrow came quicker than expected.

Regina awoke just after 3:00am to the sound of her phone ringing.

"Ugh, yes?" she groaned into the phone.

_"Regina, is Emma with you?"_ David's anxious voice came through from the other end.

"What?" Regina asked, sitting up.

_"She's not in her bed. We can't find her. We thought she must have poofed to you."_

Regina flicked her wrist to turn on the lights, and heard a muffle groan from beside her. She turned to see Emma laying there, under the covers, sleeping cat held tight in one arm, the other over her eyes, shielding them from the light.

"Oh, she's here," Regina said. She heard David breathe a sigh of relief from the other end.

_"Look, Regina… she was upset when she got home tonight. She missed you and she missed that cat and… would it be too much to ask to let her sleep over?"_

"Snow's alright with that?" Regina asked, stroking Emma's hair with her free hand. Emma moved her arm slightly and peeked out at Regina with one eye, a small smile creeping on to her lips.

_"It's what's best for Emma, right now, I think," _David said. Regina was relieved that at least one of them got that.

"Alright," Regina agreed, as if she were doing them a favour.

As she ended the call, she moved her hand again to dim the lights, enough so that she could still see Emma, but the child wasn't being blinded. She slid back down and pulled Emma – cat and all – closer. "Want to tell me what's going on, Little One?"

"I was scared," Emma whispered.

"You had another bad dream?"

Emma shook her head. "No, I was scared that Mommy wouldn't bring me back here."

"She said she was going to. Why would you think that?"

"I heard you guys fighting about her taking Henry away, and I didn't want her to take me away, too," Emma admitted.

"Emma… she didn't take Henry away. Henry's asleep right down the hall. What happened then happened a long time ago, and no one's going to take you away. Your Mommy and I sometimes get upset with each other, but we're still friends, and we both love you, so you don't need to worry about anyone taking you away, alright?"

Emma nodded. "I just want to stay with you, though. Don't take me home, okay?"

"You can sleep here tonight," Regina said, moving her hand again to turn the lights all the way off. "And all day tomorrow, okay? I promise you, I will never be far from you."

"Why did you tell Mommy we were friends before?" Emma asked.

Regina hesitated for a moment. She was way too young to process the truth of this situation right now. "We are friends, aren't we?" she asked, finally.

Emma nodded. "You're my best friend. Don't tell Kitty."

Regina leaned forward and placed a kiss on Emma's forehead. "You're my best friend, too, Little One."

Regina regretted that it had taken her this long to figure that out.

* * *

When Emma and Regina woke that morning, they discovered it had rained all night. Emma grinned as she stared out Regina's bedroom window.

"Can I play in the puddles?" she asked.

"Maybe, after breakfast," Regina said. "Go wake Henry up, okay?"

Emma nodded and bounded down the hall. She swung open Henry's door and jumped onto his bed.

"Ugh, what?" Henry groaned.

"It's morning!" Emma exclaimed, shaking his shoulders mercilessly as she bounced on his back.

"Ugh, Emma, stop! I'm awake!" Henry grumbled.

"It rained all night! After breakfast I get to play outside," Emma told him, as she reluctantly climbed off of his back.

Henry grinned. "I bet the garden is full of snails," he said, sitting up. "When I was little I used to collect them on a stick for pets. I wasn't allowed a _real_ pet, not like you."

"I'm gonna get some snails!" Emma declared.

"Wait! Don't tell my mom," Henry said, with a mischievous grin. "She'd like it better if you surprised her."

Emma nodded and smiled, glad to be part of Henry's hijinks. Henry knew better than to talk Emma into causing trouble, but he also knew his mother had a soft spot for Emma in this form, and she wouldn't get in _too_ much trouble.

Emma was practically bouncing off the walls all through breakfast. She could barely sit still in her carseat as they dropped Henry off at school. When they got back to the mansion, she let herself out of the seat and out of the car and took off running for the backyard.

"Emma! Wait!" Regina called. Emma stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. Regina waved her hand and magically switched out Emma's running shoes for little red rubber boots that looked like lady bugs. "Go ahead," she said, as she followed Emma around the back of the house.

In the backyard, Emma headed straight for the garden and started digging around. Regina sighed, thinking about how Henry used to do the same thing when he was little. She wondered if she, herself, had been so fascinated with dirt and bugs when she was four. She guessed not, since Cora would never have allowed it.

She pulled open the patio door to let the cat back out, and sat in the porch swing to watch Emma play. To her surprise, Kitty Soft Paws jumped up on her lap.

"Ugh," Regina sighed, but didn't push her off this time. "Why don't you go play with the girl?"

Kitty Soft Paws just purred and put her head down on Regina's lap.

After Emma had played for a while, Regina stood up and called to her, telling her it was time to get cleaned up to go shopping for the things for her bedroom.

Emma jumped up and ran to the door, holding a large stick with dozens of snails crawling all over it.

"No," Regina said simply, shaking her head.

"But!" Emma whined, as if 'but' was a convincing enough argument.

"No 'but', you are not bringing snails into my home. Put them back in the garden where they belong."

Emma pouted and trudged back to the garden. She flopped herself onto the ground and started plucking snails off the stick, one at a time, and placing them back in the dirt. She would turn to cast Regina a little glare, every third snail or so.

Regina sighed and crossed her arms. "Hurry up, Emma."

Emma tossed the stick into the garden, and was about to stand up when something else caught her attention. She turned back to Regina, who now had her back turned and was wiping the cat's paws with a cloth before allowing her back into the house. Emma grinned as she got a plan.

"Emma, come on!" Regina called, as she looked back at the child who was now hunched over, with her back to her.

"Coming Gina!" Emma said, standing. She rushed toward the house with her head down, and arms crossed over to abdomen. She hurried past Regina and tried to run across the floor with her muddy boots still on.

"Emma! Boots!" Regina cried. Emma stopped and kicked off her boots. She looked up at Regina, who raised an eyebrow, and then removed one hand from her abdomen to awkwardly try to pick up both boots and put them neatly by the door.

"Emma, are you alright?" Regina asked, suddenly concerned with the way the child was holding her stomach.

"Yes, fine," Emma said, keeping her head down.

"Why are you holding your tummy like that? Do you feel sick?" Regina asked, taking a step toward her. Emma took a couple steps back.

"No. Feel fine!" She insisted.

Before Regina could ask anything else, Emma let out a shriek and removed her hand. To Regina's horror, something small and green and slimy fell out of the child's shirt and started hopping away.

Regina closed her eyes and counted to ten in her head. Twice.

"Emma, please tell me that you didn't just bring a frog into my house."

Emma's eyes went wide and she looked down at her shirt. "I think he peed on me!"

"Do not move!" Regina said, in a tone that Emma wasn't about to mess with. Regina turned and saw the frog had left a trail of muddy hop-prints along his journey toward the kitchen. She ran in there and looked around, seeing no sign of the disgusting creature.

Nervously, she crouched down, and started looking under chairs. She gasped when she saw the ugly thing, and in yet another moment of temporary insanity – which she found she was becoming more prone to since this little Emma had arrived – she tried to reach for it with her bare hand.

She screamed as it jumped toward her and landed on her leg. Emma ran into the kitchen to see what was happening.

"Don't hurt it, Gina!" She cried.

Regina sighed and put her hand over the frog. It illuminated purple, and began to float, just ahead of Regina's fingers, as she stood. "I'm not going to hurt it, I'm putting it outside, where it belongs."

"I want to keep it!" Emma pouted.

"Emma, my home is not your personal animal sanctuary," Regina replied.

"But… I thought maybe he was a prince?"

Regina stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. She moved her fingers so that the glowing frog hovered inches from Emma's face. "Would you like to kiss him and find out?" she suggested.

Emma scrunched up her nose. "Ew! No!" she said, shaking her head and stepping back.

"That's what I thought. He goes back out."

Once the frog was out, Regina came back and lifted Emma up by her armpits. "You, my dear, are in dire need of a bath. I'll clean you, and then you get to help me clean up the mess your slimy friend made."

"That's not fair!" Emma pouted.

"You appear to have a misunderstanding of what the word 'fair' means," Regina remarked, as she headed through Emma's pink bedroom and put her down on the floor of the en suite bathroom.

Emma worked at taking off her dirty clothes as Regina stared the water and added bubbles. Emma looked at Regina with wide eyes as she lifted her into the tub. "Are you mad, Gina?"

"No sweetheart, I'm not mad. I understand things like snails and frogs are enticing when you're four."

"I'm five," Emma corrected, with a small scowl.

"You're five? Since when?"

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. In my dream last night I remembered turning five."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Emma shrugged again. "I didn't know it was important."

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed. "Of course your birthday is important!"

"Really?" Emma asked, a small smile creeping up on her lips.

"Yes, really," Regina laughed. "We'll have to do something special for you tonight. Maybe we'll pick up a cake while we're out today."

Emma beamed. "Can it be a frog cake?"

Regina rolled her eyes and laughed. "If that's what you want."

"It is," Emma nodded. "Oh, and, Henry said you would like the snails."

"He did, did he?" Regina asked, smirking.

"Uh huh!" Emma nodded, emphatically.

"I see," Regina replied, as she lifted Emma back out of the tub and dried her off with a white fluffy towel. She waved her hand to magically conjure her favourite pretty little blue dress from the closet. "A pretty dress for the birthday girl."

Emma grinned as she put it on. Regina noted that she needed much less help getting dressed now. She only struggled with the buttons. She really was growing up. She had come so far from that terrified, silent little girl Henry had found lost, nearly a month ago.

Regina pulled Emma's blond curls into two bouncy pigtails, and then took her by the hand down the stairs.

"Do I have to clean the mess when I'm in my pretty dress?" Emma asked, looking worried at Regina.

"Use your magic," Regina said.

"How?"

"I think you can figure it out, can't you? You remember how we cleaned the crayon off the wall?"

Emma nodded, and focused on the mess on the floor. It took her a few moments, but she managed to make it vanish. She grinned up at Regina. "I did it! Are you proud of me?"

Regina scooped her up and squeezed her tight. "More than you'll ever know."

"And now we can go shopping?" Emma asked.

"Yes, darling. We'll get curtains and blankets and toys and a cake. And here I thought your cat was the spoiled one."

Emma smiled and hugged Regina tighter. Regina carried her out to the car. Suddenly, now that Emma was five and not four, Regina wanted to pick her up and carry her more, as the realization sank in that she wouldn't be little like this forever. Regina vowed, yet again, to make this time count. She was determined to give Emma an amazing fifth birthday, to make up for the one she seemed to think wasn't important enough to even mention.

What kind of foster parents could make a child think their birthday didn't matter?

Regina knew it wasn't worth obsessing over, since in reality, that happened twenty five years ago, but it just spurred her on even more to make this birthday memorable for Emma.

She didn't care if it meant she had to throw a birthday party every month, _this_ Emma was going to grow up knowing that she actually mattered.

* * *

Regina took Emma to the linen store first. Emma wanted to get the cake first, and as a result, was now pouting, and dragging her feet as Regina tried to pull her by her hand through the store.

"Emma, will you please stop looking so sullen? We are here for you, remember?" Regina asked, slightly exasperated.

Emma pouted harder. "I want my cake."

"It doesn't make sense to get the cake first," Regina said, for about the seventh time since they had left the mansion. "It's hot out there, and the icing will melt. Do you want a melted frog?"

"No," Emma said, glaring at Regina.

"So we're in agreement, then? Cake last?"

"No," Emma repeated.

"Come and pick out some sheets for your bed," Regina said, motioning to the shelf.

"They're all ugly. I hate them," Emma said, as she refused to look at them.

"Emma Swan, what has gotten into you?" Regina asked. She wracked her brain trying to think what could have possibly happened between leaving the mansion and reaching the store. Then it occurred to her: Emma had fallen asleep on the couch while she had waited for Regina to get ready to leave. She hadn't mentioned a dream, but she must have had one, and that was causing the abrupt change in her behaviour.

She knelt down to meet Emma at eye level, and but Emma wouldn't look at her. "Emma, did you have a dream when you had your little nap on the couch."

"No," Emma said, still not looking at Regina.

"Baby, you can tell me if you did. Did something happen in your dream?"

"I didn't have a dream!" Emma yelled, ripping her hand out of Regina's and folding her arms defiantly in front of her chest.

"Okay," Regina said, standing slowly as people stopped and stared. She was well aware that the general consensus among the people of Storybrooke was that Emma should most certainly _not_ be in her care, and she didn't really want to give them more of a reason to think that. "Well, my dear, if you won't pick out sheets, then I will have to pick some for you."

Emma shrugged. "Don't care."

"Fine," Regina said, pulling a couple sheet sets from the shelf. She concerned herself more with thread count than what was on the sheets. If Emma didn't care what they looked like, Regina figured she could at least be comfortable when she slept.

"Would you like to pick out your own duvet cover?" Regina asked, leading Emma toward the next shelf. Emma stood and stared, not answering, until Regina gave up and pulled one off the shelf. It was yellow with small flowers.

"No!" Emma cried when she saw it. "I hate that one!"

"Then pick one you like, or this is the one you're getting," Regina said.

Emma took a moment to actually look at her options, before selecting a yellow, white and pink striped cover. Regina sighed and took it from her. She wondered if she was wasting her money on all this pink, knowing the adult Emma's aversion to the colour. She hoped she might get a few years out of this stuff, which, she realized, would only amount to a few months, at most.

Emma refused to help pick out new curtains, so Regina went with white, sheer ones, hoping they would help tone down the colour of the walls a tad. Emma sulked as Regina paid for the items and they headed back to the car.

"Cake store now?" Emma asked, hopefully.

"Emma, I already told you. We're getting the cake last. I promised you some new toys, but…" Regina stopped herself before finishing with _I'm not sure you deserve them_. She tried to remind herself that this little girl had been through hell already in her short life, and that this little temper tantrum didn't change that. Emma wasn't your average petulant child. She had a reason.

"But what?" Emma asked, looking up with hurt in her eyes.

"But, we won't be able to do that if we get the cake now," Regina recovered. "So how about the toy store first?"

Emma nodded, and got into the backseat, strapping herself into the car seat. Regina sighed as she got into her seat and started the car. She had wanted to make this a fun experience for Emma, and she tried to remind herself that not every memory she could provide for her was going to be perfect. It was a hard realization to come to, however, since she was well aware she didn't have all that much time to create new, better memories for Emma. She had already aged one year since Henry had found her.

To Regina's relief, Emma seemed to perk up as they reached the toy store. She grinned as Regina opened the door for her, and didn't resist Regina taking her by the hand.

"Now, you stay with me, Little One," Regina instructed, "and don't touch anything. We look with our eyes, not our hands, understand?"

Emma nodded, though Regina wasn't sure she was actually listening. Regina pulled a cart from the corral up at the front, assuming that they would be buying more than a few things, since the child had nothing of her own.

Emma excitedly picked out some dolls and books and stuffed toys. She also picked out some cars and superhero action figures, but Regina put her foot down that no toy guns would be entering her home. Emma sulked, but reluctantly followed Regina away from the display anyway.

"This will probably cost a million dollars," Emma commented, looking at the cartful of toys as they headed to the check out.

Regina laughed. "Not quite, honey."

"The Daddy says he's not made of money," Emma remarked, looking up at Regina with solemn eyes.

"The Daddy from your last dream?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, as she played with the metal on the cart, poking her fingers though to touch the packaging on the toys inside. "I ripped another shirt and he said I couldn't have new clothes because I don't app- … appr…" Emma stammered, trying to get the unfamiliar word out.

"Appreciate?" Regina suggested.

"Uh huh. I don't appresh-diate the things I have. And he's not made of money."

Regina shook her head in disbelief, knowing full well that foster families receive money for the children they foster, to cover basic needs like clothing.

"Did the Daddy say anything else?" Regina asked.

Emma bit her lip and shook her head quickly, and Regina wasn't convinced. Whatever had happened, she knew she was going to have to get it out of Emma sooner or later, but the check out at a toy store was not the time or place.

Once the bags of toys were loaded into the trunk, it was time to pick up the cake. Regina had called ahead to the bakery to order the frog cake, and though she thought it was hideous, Emma loved it, and that was all that mattered.

"Who's gonna come to my party?" Emma asked, as they headed back to the mansion.

"Your parents and Henry," Regina said.

Emma slouched down and pouted again.

"Who else were you expecting? You don't know anyone else," Regina said, matter-of-factly.

"I don't want my parents to come," she said.

"Why?" Regina asked, suddenly concerned.

"Because."

Regina sighed as she pulled into the drive way. She opened the door for Emma, and pulled out the cake.

"What about my toys?" Emma asked, as she watched Regina head toward the door.

"We have to get the cake inside first, Emma. We'll come back for them," Regina promised. Emma looked like she might cry as she watched Regina putting the cake in the fridge.

"Emma, what is it?" she asked, as she turned back to the child.

"You're not going to keep me!" Emma cried out, suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked, dropping to her knees in front of the now sobbing child.

"The Daddy said no one will ever want me!" Emma wailed. "He said I'm more trouble than I'm worth and no one will keep me and that's why my Mommy and Daddy didn't want me!"

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, wrapping her arms around the trembling child before picking her up and rocking her from side to side. "That Daddy was an idiot. You're Mommy and Daddy do want you and so do I and so does Henry."

Emma shook her head vigorously. "Nobody wants me."

"I do," Regina repeated. "Would I have gone to the trouble of painting your room and buying you new things and letting you have a pet if I didn't want you?"

Emma sniffed a few times. "I want to stay with you, forever. I don't want to go back to Mommy and Daddy's."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"They have Neal, they don't want me. I heared them say they're scared of my magic. They think it's bad and I don't want to go there!"

Regina cringed, silently cursing the two idiots for talking about Emma's magic when she could hear them. She made a mental note to reprimand them for it, later. She wanted to promise Emma right then and there that she would never send her home with the Charmings again, if that's not what she wanted, but she was well aware she wasn't in the position to make that promise. She would have to speak with them. Tonight.

Once Emma calmed down, and they got the toys brought inside, Regina used her magic to poof the furniture back into Emma's bedroom, and she set about putting up the curtains and putting the new sheets on the bed while Emma played with Spiderman and Ballerina Barbie.

"I think it's time for a nap, so you're ready for your party tonight," Regina said, pulling back the new duvet and patting the sheets underneath. Emma reluctantly walked over, carrying Spiderman and Barbie with her. Regina laid down on the bed next to her, as she pulled the covers up to her neck.

"Give me a good night kiss?" Emma asked. Regina smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "And Barbie?" Emma asked, holding up the doll. Regina kissed the doll, and tucked it in next to Emma. "And Spidey?" Emma asked, holding up Spiderman. Regina gave him and kiss, too, and tucked him in next to Barbie. "And.." Emma started.

"No more 'ands'. Everyone is kissed and tucked in. Now it's time to sleep."

"But I'm scared," Emma pouted.

"I'm right here," Regina reminded her. "And when you sleep, I'll be right here," she said, holding up the pendant on the necklace on Emma's neck.

Emma smiled. "And I'll be right here," she said, touching the swan pendant on her necklace around Regina's neck.

"Yes, you will. Now sleep, so we can have your party tonight."

Emma closed her eyes.

_"Emma!" the father's voice bellowed from the den. "Get me a beer!"_

_Emma rose slowly from her spot on the floor, where she was playing with a one-legged Spiderman action figure, and trudged into the kitchen to open the fridge._

_"There isn't any!" she yelled back._

_"For crying out loud!" the father yelled. She scurried back into the other room as he came into the kitchen to check for himself. "Tiffany!" he yelled up the stairs, to the mother. "I thought you got a case of beer yesterday!"_

_"That was two days ago!" she screamed back. Emma covered her ears. They were always yelling._

_"For shit sake! I'm going to the store!"_

_"Take that little brat with you!" Tiffany screamed back. The father walked into the other room and grabbed Emma by the arm, without warning._

_"Come on," he barked, pulling her out to the pick-up. He lifted her by one arm into the cabin and she scooted over to the far side as he got in. The passenger seat belt was broken, so Emma held on to the door as the father peeled out of the drive way and headed to the beer store._

_He left her in the car as he went inside, and came out with two cases minutes later. He cracked open and beer and put in in the console, before putting the two cases on the floor under Emma's feet._

_"Can we stop there?" Emma asked, pointing to a McDonalds out the window._

_"Why would we stop there?" The father asked, glancing around for cops before taking a swig of his beer._

_"I'm hungry," Emma whined._

_"You better stop whining if you know what's good for you," he retorted. He hadn't laid a hand on Emma, to this point, but Emma knew enough to never take threats like that lightly._

_She watched out the window as McDonald's faded from view, and they headed off down the long stretch of road back to the farm house. It was a farm house because it had a barn, but it didn't have any animals. Emma had heard the mother blame the father for that in nearly every argument that they had._

_"If you don't stop pouting, I'll drop you right off on the side of the damn road, just like your parents did," the father warned. "We didn't pick out a pretty little blonde haired girl to end up with a petulant little brat."_

_Emma tried her best to smile convincingly as they pulled up the winding driveway to the house, but she didn't want to win these people over. She didn't want to stay there._

_Absently, her hand found the pendant on her neck, and she remembered Regina._

_That's where she wanted to stay._

_Forever._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, so I decided to flesh this story out a bit. I know I have a tendency to write short chapters, and I'm working on lengthening them. I've combined the early chapters, so the 25 short chapters are now 8 longer chapters, but none of the content has changed. I had to this or otherwise we'd end up with 100 short chapters lol.**

**It may be longer between updates now, but I'm working on focusing more on QUALITY than QUANTITY now. My goal in all of this - writing, I mean - is to improve my skills and storytelling, so, as always, I appreciate all your feedback.**

**That being said, this has always been and always will be a story about Emma and Regina NOT the Charmings so if the Charmings interacting with and parenting Little Emma is what you're looking for, again I recommend "Magical Mishap" by amwalsh5. It's an awesome story and very well written and you can get all your Mama Snow and Daddy David feels there! :)**

**And now, without further ado, the new and improved Lost &amp; Found! This chapter is from Emma's perspective. Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Emma awoke with a start, and scrambled to fish Spiderman out from under her new sheets. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he still had two legs intact. It had been a dream. Well, not a dream - a memory - but either way, she was safe in her bed in Regina's home and far, far away from that farmhouse and the bad memories made there.

She knew she was far away, but the father's words lingered with her as she hopped out if bed and set off to find out where Regina had gone. She gripped Spiderman tight in one hand as she stepped out into the hallway. She hoped Regina was in the kitchen making delicious food for the party. She wondered if Regina might take her to McDonald's one day, if she was really, really good.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a discarded red crayon between the baseboard and the leg of a small decorative table. She guessed she must have dropped it there when she had been creating her masterpiece on Regina's wall. She grinned to herself, thinking back at how beautiful it had been and how Regina hadn't spanked her or even yelled at her for it.

She remembered a home she had been in where the kids used to write their names on the walls behind the furniture and count their days with marker tick marks inside the closet. She hadn't been able to join in, at that point, because she didn't know how to write her name or count. She was bigger and smarter now, so she pushed the table away from the wall and wrote her name in large red crayon letters.

She grinned at Spiderman as she pushed the table back, covering up her little graffiti. "Watch this," she whispered to the plastic action figure, as she waved her hand and magically disappeared the crayon into oblivion somewhere. "I hided the evidence."

She continued her way down the hall, and to the stairs, hoping down them two at a time. She almost fell near the bottom, but she caught herself. She then stepped into the foyer and looked around with a big grin. Regina had put up streamers and balloons. This was an actual, real birthday party.

"Gina!" Emma called out, looking around. She didn't see her, but she saw the next best thing. "Kitty Soft Paws!" she exclaimed as the cat made a leisurely stroll toward her. Emma scooped her up under one arm, and continued her search around the mansion.

She liked it here. It was bigger and nicer than any home she had ever been in, including the fairy's house in the Enchanted Forest. There were still so many rooms left to explore, and it was a rare occasion that Emma was actually left alone long enough to do so. She could smell food cooking in the kitchen, so she guessed Regina really was in there. Regina thought she was asleep, so she figured now would be a good time to explore.

She ducked around the corner and headed down a hallway she hadn't seen before. There were lots of rooms with closed doors. She pushed one open, quietly, and found a room with a couch and a fireplace and lots of books on the shelves. This room looked boring.

She continued down the hall and found a better room. This one was bigger and had a couch as well, and a TV set up with some sort of video game system. There were more doors inside this room, and Emma was increasingly curious as to what might be in them. She put Kitty Soft Paws and Spiderman down on the couch and told them both to 'stay!'. Spiderman listened. Kitty Soft Paws did not, but Emma didn't really care. She didn't like listening, either.

She opened one of the doors and found that it was a closet, with shelves stacked up with board games. Emma grinned wildly as she surveyed the boxes. She couldn't really read, but she recognized some of the pictures, and up near the top of the closet was _Candyland_. She wanted to play that for her birthday.

It didn't occur to her to use magic this time, as she decided to get the game down in a way she'd seen older kids do countless times: by climbing the shelves. They were close enough together that she could scale them fairly easily, and before long, she was near the top, and _Candyland_ was within reach.

She had two feet on one shelf and one hand on the _Candyland_ shelf, as she reached forward for the game. No sooner did she have it in her hand, did she hear a distinct _crack_ and the shelf under her feet suddenly gave way, and she was toppling to the ground.

She landed flat on her back with a hard _thud_ as boxes of games crashed down on top of her. For a moment, she couldn't think or react, she just laid there, perfectly still, remembering how little girls get in big trouble for breaking things and making messes. She didn't want Regina to be mad and spank her or yell at her or worse, cancel her party.

She knew she should just get up and pick up all the games and shove them back in the closet and shut the door and hope that Regina never opened it again. Or that if she did, she would think Henry did it and Henry would get in trouble. She didn't _want_ Henry to get in trouble, but he was bigger and Regina probably wouldn't spank him because she had seen big boys hit back or just run away and Henry was a big boy.

But she didn't want Henry to run away either.

Emma tried to move, but her whole little body hurt and before she knew it, she was crying. Not even crying – wailing – partially from the pain, but mostly from the fear of what was about to happen, since Regina was going to find her now and see what she had done.

Emma tried to remember that Regina had promised she could stay here, in Storybrooke, but she knew this house wasn't her home, and she was terrified of making Regina so angry that she sent her back to her parents' apartment and told her she could never come back here again. Other mothers had promised her she could stay, only to ship her back to the group home weeks later. Promises didn't mean anything when they came from adults, that much Emma knew for sure.

And Emma didn't want to get sent back to her parents' place. She liked it here, with Regina, where she was the only child and she had Regina's full attention. Mommy and Daddy both worked and had another child who needed them more and Emma didn't like being there. And even though Mommy smiled at her, she always looked a little sad and it made Emma sad, even though she wasn't sure why.

And the Daddy at the farm house with no animals said her real Mommy and Daddy left her on the side of the road.

What if they did that again?

Emma's worrying was cut short as she felt hands on her. Regina was there now, and picking her up. Emma tried to fight back, and she screamed louder, trying to squirm out of Regina's arms. Maybe it wasn't too late to run.

But Regina didn't let go. She just held her tight and kissed her forehead and asked if she was okay.

"I'm so-so-orry!" Emma choked out, between tears, as Regina put her hand on the back of her head and started rocking her. "I ju-just wanted Ca-C-andy-l-l-land!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Regina repeated over and over, though her voice didn't sound like it normally did. She sounded scared. "Are you hurt?"

Emma shook her head, no, even though she thought she might actually be hurt. Regina always seemed to know when she was lying though, and she crossed the room to sit with her on the couch. She checked Emma's head as Emma continued to bawl, and found a goose egg starting to grow on the back of her head.

Emma felt the warm tingling of Regina's magic on her head, and the pain where was suddenly gone. The surprise was enough to make her stop crying, and she just looked up at Regina.

"Better?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, as Regina wiped the tears from her cheeks and hugged her close. Emma let her head fall onto Regina's chest and closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe she wasn't in trouble, after all.

"You tried to climb the shelves?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded again. _Here it comes_, she thought, as she tried to calm her ragged double-breaths. Whatever punishment Regina had in mind was surely about to be doled out. Maybe she would break one of her new toys, since Emma had broken something of hers. She thought about when she broke a glass at the farm house, and the Mommy had broken off Spiderman's leg.

_"You ruin everything, Emma! How does it feel when I break something of yours?"_

The Mommy's voice rang in Emma's head, clear as day. Why hadn't she learned her lesson, then? Her new Spiderman was right there, right within Regina's reach. She should have left him upstairs. She didn't want him to lose a leg, too.

"I ruin everything," Emma said, quietly.

"You didn't ruin anything, Emma," Regina said, as she stroked Emma's hair. "It's just a shelf, it can be replaced. You, however, can't be replaced. You could have been very badly hurt Emma. I might not have been able to fix it. You can't climb shelves, it's dangerous. If you want something you can't reach, you come and ask me. Understand?"

Emma nodded again, feeling her bottom lip start to quiver. She couldn't tell if Regina was mad or not, but her voice sounded very serious.

"I'm sorry," Emma repeated, hoping that it would take the edge off whatever was about to happen.

"I know you are, Little One," Regina said, softer this time. Emma liked when she called her 'Little One'. It made her feel special, because she hadn't heard her call anyone else that. It wasn't like in some homes where the Mommy would call her 'honey' or 'sweetheart' and she would _think_ it was a special name, until she heard the Mommy call everyone else that, too. But she was sure she was Regina's only 'Little One'.

"What are you gonna do?" Emma asked. The anticipation was killing her. Not knowing what the punishment would be was the worst part. At least a spanking was fast and then over.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"Am I not in trouble?" Emma asked, looking up at Regina with solemn eyes.

"For breaking the shelf?" Regina asked. "I think the fall was likely punishment enough, don't you? Are you ever going to climb shelves again?"

Emma shook her head, fervently. "No. I promise."

"Good. Then you're not in trouble," Regina said. Then she paused, thinking for a moment, before speaking again. "Emma, do you know why children get in trouble?"

"Because they're bad," Emma said, quickly.

Regina shook her head. "The point of a punishment is for you to learn a lesson. If you make a bad choice, there are consequences. You drew on my wall, and I made you clean it. That was the consequence for drawing on the wall. You climbed the shelves, and you fell and got hurt. That's the consequence for climbing on the shelves. Do you understand?"

"Not really," Emma admitted.

Regina sighed and looked at the clock. "It's almost time for your birthday party. We'll talk about this more, later, okay?"

Emma nodded, and grabbed Spiderman as Regina picked her up again. She watched as Regina waved a hand in the direction of the closet, and magically, the shelf was repaired and all the games were back where they belonged. Emma noted, sadly, that _Candyland_ was back on its shelf, but she decided not to test her luck right now as Regina carried her out of the room.

Everything that had just happened was all but forgotten as they reached the foyer just in time to see Henry letting himself in, followed by Emma's parents and baby Neal. Emma squirmed herself free from Regina and bounded over to Henry, Spiderman in hand.

"Look Henry, Spiderman!" Emma beamed, holding him up for Henry to see.

"You didn't call me 'Henny'," Henry noted, a little sadly. Emma scrunched up her nose, in confusion, and held Spiderman up higher. Henry just laughed. "He's pretty cool, Emma," he finally acknowledged.

"Emma," Snow called her attention away from Henry, "how was your day, today?"

"Great!" Emma declared, as she headed over to her mother. "We had to get blankets and curtains, and that was _boring, _but then Regina bought me a million toys and a cake!"

Snow shot a look over to Regina, and Emma wondered what she had said to make her Mommy stop smiling. Wasn't she happy that she had a good day?

"A million toys?" Snow asked.

Regina shrugged. "Hardly. Emma exaggerates."

"Well, baby, Daddy and I brought you some presents, too," Snow said, turning back to Emma, and holding out some pretty gift bags.

"Can I open them right now?" Emma asked, dropping Spiderman to the floor as she reached for the presents.

"How about after dinner?" Regina offered.

"No, I think now's fine," Snow countered. Emma looked back and forth between Mommy and Regina, who were staring at each other now.

"Guys, stop," Henry said. Emma looked at him, confused. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening right now, but this was supposed to be _her _party, and those were her presents and she just wanted to open them.

Regina sighed. "Now's fine, Little One," she agreed, finally, and Emma grinned as she followed her mother eagerly into the living room.

She sat down on the floor, as Snow put the gift bags in front of her, and sat down with her. David took pictures as Emma smiled as she pulled some pretty dolls and books out of the bags.

"Why are you sad, Mommy?" Emma asked, as she watched Snow wipe a tear from her eye.

"I'm not, sweetheart, I'm happy," Snow insisted. Emma was beyond confused at this point, but she didn't object when Snow pulled her into a tight hug.

"Cake now?" Emma asked, turning to Regina the moment Snow released her from the hug.

"After dinner," Regina said, and Emma recognized that same tone from earlier in the day when Emma had wanted to get the cake first. She didn't win then, and she figured she probably wouldn't win now.

"Where's Spiderman?" Emma asked, suddenly remembering she had dropped him in the hall, and Regina smiled as Emma ran off to retrieve her favourite toy.

Regina had made lasagna for dinner, since it was Emma's favourite, and no one told her to put Spiderman away when she sat him down on the table next to her plate.

"You're almost too big for that booster," Henry pointed out, from his seat next to Emma.

Emma grinned and nodded. "Soon I'll be as big as you!"

"Yeah, you will be," Henry agreed.

When dinner was done, Emma could barely sit still as Regina went to get the cake from the fridge. Emma beamed as David dimmed the lights, and everyone started to sing to her as Regina brought in the frog cake, with five candles burning on top.

"Make a wish!" Henry urged, and Emma leaned forward to blow out the candles. She couldn't remember ever having a birthday party before, but she had seen them in TV shows and as far as she could tell, this was the best one ever, because it was hers.

Regina let Emma have the first piece of cake, and Emma barely tasted it as she wolfed it down, so excited to have a cake at all.

"Slow down, Little One," Snow said, and Emma's eyes snapped up, confused. That was Regina's name for her, not Mommy's. That was supposed to be special, like their magic or their necklaces or the picture in the pretty red and gold frame or Emma's name written in red crayon on the wall, marking her claim on this home – that last one was so special, that even Regina didn't know about it.

But Emma didn't say anything, she just slowed down. She didn't want to get in trouble at her own birthday. She wondered what the consequence of eating cake too fast might be? She didn't want to find out.

For the rest of the evening, Emma played with her new toys on the floor in the living room with Henry, while Regina spent some time cleaning up and having a conversation with Snow and David that Emma couldn't hear but none of them looked very happy.

"Why are they always mad at each other?" Emma asked Henry.

Henry sighed. "It's a long story," he shrugged.

"Does your Mommy ever spank you?" Emma asked, looking at Henry with solemn eyes.

"No. Why? Did she spank you?"

"No!" Emma shook her head quickly. "I just wanted to know. Some mommies spank their kids, you know."

"I know. But my mom never spanked me and I'm pretty sure she'd never spank you. Neither would your Mom or Dad, Emma. You don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not worried," Emma lied. Henry was a kid, but he was a big kid, and Emma knew you couldn't trust what big kids said, either. Big kids will lie to get the little ones in trouble.

Emma turned back to the group of adults, as their voices got louder. "Until recently, you have had my child more nights a week than I do, what's the difference?" she heard Regina say.

"The difference is, Henry makes that choice," David replied.

"He made that choice when Emma was there," Regina retorted.

"And Emma would still be there if it weren't for your interference," Snow pointed out.

"I can't help it if Emma wants to be here."

"She's five, Regina. And you turned this into a competition that we can't win, by buying her everything she wants and giving in to her every whim," David said, shaking his head.

"If you think that's what I'm doing, then you're more of an idiot than I thought," Regina snapped.

"Mom!" Henry called out, Regina cringed when she looked over and saw Emma watching them intently.

"Emma, I think it's time to go," Snow said curtly, as she walked across the foyer to the living room.

Emma felt panicked. She didn't want to leave all her new toys and her new room and Kitty Soft Paws and Regina was supposed to explain to her what consequences meant because she still didn't understand. She couldn't leave now.

"No! I don't wanna!" Emma cried, jumping up to run and hide behind Henry.

"Emma, it's time to leave," Snow said again, firmly.

Emma looked over at Regina, pleadingly, and wondered why she wasn't telling them 'no, you can't take her'. Suddenly Emma wondered if Regina _wanted_ her to leave. Was that why she wasn't stepping in? She should have known she was actually mad about the shelf.

Emma whimpered and held on tighter to Henry. Maybe he would say something. He brought her here in the first place, after all.

Snow shook her head and turned back to Regina. "This is what you've done to her. She doesn't listen because you let her do whatever she wants."

"Yes, blame me, again," Regina said, finally crossing the room closer to Snow. "I did all this to her in a matter of weeks. It had nothing to do with the five _years_ of inadequate parenting she received in the foster care system."

Emma looked back at forth between her mother and Regina and started to cry. Snow turned and started to walk to her, but Emma – who was sure her mother was about to grab her and drag her out of the house - ducked around the other side of Henry and grabbed onto Regina's legs. Regina picked her up, quickly, and hugged her tight.

Snow sighed and crossed her arms. "And you win, again," she said, shaking her head.

"This isn't a competition," Regina stated.

"This is supposed to be our second chance, not yours," David said, as he walked up beside his wife.

"No, it's Emma's," Regina replied. Emma wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but she maintained her death grip around Regina's neck, her face buried into Regina's shoulder. "And she's not going with you tonight."

"Not your call, Regina," David reminded her.

"No, it's hers," Regina said, flatly. "And what do you think is going to happen if you take her right now?"

Snow rolled her eyes and looked at David. "She's just going to poof back, and we both know it."

David nodded, and looked back at Regina. "Do not mistake this as us giving up on our daughter. Don't think we will give her up without a fight."

"Good. It's about time you did fight for her. Lord knows she needs it," Regina said, as she stroked Emma's hair.

Emma kept her face buried into Regina the whole time her parents got ready to leave, even as they tried to kiss her good bye. She didn't want to look at them. She didn't want to look at anyone. She just wanted to stay safely hidden in Regina's arms where she felt secure.

She stayed so still, she was sure she had convinced Regina she was asleep. She was really good at fake sleeping, and it seemed to work as Regina sat down on the couch with Henry, holding Emma tightly in her arms, still.

"Is she asleep?" Henry asked.

"I think so," Regina sighed. "It's been a long, long day."

"You guys have to be more careful," Henry pointed out, "Emma's not as little anymore. She's picking up on things. She asked you why you three are always mad at each other."

Regina didn't answer for a moment, and her hand stopped moving on Emma's hair. Emma thought perhaps she was busted, but then Regina finally spoke again. "Do you think I let her do whatever she wants?"

Henry laughed. "You're definitely easy on her. Way easier than you ever were on me."

"It's hard not to be," Regina admitted. "It's just… it's so different. Knowing how she grows up and the sacrifice she made… it's hard not to want to coddle her and protect her from everything and just give her everything she wants."

"Yeah, I get it," Henry agreed.

Emma wondered what Regina meant by 'how she grows up'? She hadn't grown up yet, how could Regina know that? She fought the urge to ask, because then she would definitely be busted.

Henry and Regina went on talking about other things, like how Henry was doing in school. Emma grew bored, quickly, and before long, she actually was asleep.

_Emma was curled up on the couch with the Mommy watching a movie. There was another kid – a girl,a few years older than Emma, this Mommy's actual daughter – on the other side, and their spotted Great Dane, Max, was on the floor by the Mommy's feet. _

_Emma had been there three days, and she called the dog Maxie-Paxie, which the Mommy thought was hilarious. And she told Emma she was sweet, and beautiful, and smart, and this Mommy looked so sincere, that Emma believed her._

_But her social worker had told her, when she dropped her off, that this was just a relief home, until there was a permanent place for her. Emma tried hard not to love it there, but it was impossible, and two days later, when the social worker came, back, Emma was inconsolable. _

_The Mommy and the daughter said good bye, and the Mommy cried too, when Emma hugged Maxie-Paxie, and within minutes, Emma was in the back of that familiar car, while her social worker told her about the next family, and how she had a really good feeling about this one._

_Emma nodded, absently, and clutched the pendant around her neck. It didn't matter where she went next, because soon enough she'd be back with Regina._

_It wasn't fair that she only got one day at a time with Regina, while she had to go spend weeks with strangers every time she fell asleep. She didn't want her parents to come take her away, because that meant even less time with Regina. She just wanted to be there, now._

_She held the pendant tighter, and thought about where she had written her name in red crayon._

_Home._

* * *

**What did you think about having a chapter from Emma's perspective? I thought it was kind of important to show what's going on in her little head.**

**Should I do more, down the line? I don't want to write a lot from her perspective, when she's this young, but maybe more here or there, if you would be interested in Emma's take on things :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Excerpt from Guest review: "Honestly, I wish the Charming would pouf away and leave them alone, but morally, I can't negate there point."**

**You hit the nail on the head with that one. This is the thing I struggle with through the whole story, because logically, I know Emma should be with her parents, but I want to write Regina and Little Emma, not the Charmings and Little Emma, so I have to find a way to keep them away. Their points are definitely valid, and I make a point of putting their opinions in as a way of playing Devil's Advocate with myself.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Emma was snoring softly against Regina's chest when she finally got up to carry her upstairs to bed. She felt slightly heavier now than she did before, and Regina was relieved that at least she finally seemed to be growing.

"Mom!" Henry called after her, holding up Spiderman. Regina smiled and took the action figure from her son, and headed up the stairs. She tucked Emma back into her bed, and tucked Spiderman in next to her. Kitty Soft Paws was curled up on the cat bed that Emma had just had to have. Regina was glad, at least, that her money hadn't been wasted on that one.

"You're a damn lucky cat," she reminded the feline, as she looked up at her, sleepily, from the soft little bed, "and I still don't like you, just so we're clear. When Emma grows up and moves out, you're going with her, don't forget."

She sat on the edge of her bed, watching Emma sleep for a while. She looked so peaceful, and again, Regina was amazed that this was all really real. A little over one month ago, Emma was dead, and yet here she was, alive and well. They had about twenty five months until Emma was back to her normal age, again. Just over two years. It seemed like so much time, and so little, all at the same time.

She sighed as she thought about what David had said about their second chance. On one hand, she wanted to throttle him for thinking this was about him and Snow. On the other hand, she could see his point, in a way.

But Emma wanted to be here, didn't she?

Regina was sure she was letting Emma make her own choice, but perhaps Snow had a point. Had she turned this into an unfair competition? Should she send Emma back to her parents?

Regina thought about how that would be. She was sure Emma would be inconsolable, but for how long? How long before she settled in at the loft and was happy as could be there? Who would be hurt worse? Emma or herself?

If there was one thing she was sure of, when she really thought about it, it was that Snow and David really were far from entitled to a second chance. They had made the decision to put their daughter through a wardrobe and ship her to another realm, alone. They could blame her all they wanted, but they didn't know she was coming after Emma until the curse was already cast. They could claim they saved their daughter all they wanted, but the reality was, they saved themselves.

Looking at this little lost girl right now, the girl lost between this life and her old life, a girl lost between her parents and Regina, Regina knew she would have never done it. She could never have killed a baby. Cursing Emma along with the rest of them would have secured the curse forever, anyway. She would have remained a newborn, for eternity. She would have never turned twenty eight and she would have never broken the curse.

And Snow, above all others, should have known she couldn't harm a child. She hated Snow more than anyone, and yet she didn't enact her vengeance on a ten-year-old. She waited until Snow was old enough to make it an almost-fair fight. Maybe a little too fair, since she was never able to best the little brat.

Regina shook her head out of that memory, and back to more pertinent things: namely Emma. She was sure the Charmings didn't save Emma simply for Emma's sake. They didn't do it for her, and she didn't owe them. Regina thought back to when Rumple had once told her that her own mother hadn't done her any favours. Well, the Charmings hadn't done Emma any favours, either.

Regina stood, and leaned in to kiss Emma on the forehead, before turning off the light and leaving the room. This was that little girl's home just as much – if not more so – than the Charmings' loft. Regina wasn't about to let her go without a fight, either.

Morning came quickly, and Emma was up at the crack of daylight, sitting on Regina's bed with Spiderman, humming softly as she played with him.

"Good morning, Emma," Regina said, as she stretched out and sat up.

"Good morning," Emma smiled. "I letted Kitty Soft Paws out already and I gived her more food and water. It's good to take care of your pets."

"That's true," Regina agreed. "Where did you learn that?"

"I was at a nice lady's house and she had a big dog named Maxie-Paxie and I helped her take good care of him."

Regina smiled. It was rare that Emma shared good memories with her in the morning. She was glad to know that she at least had some good memories.

"Gina…" Emma said, after a little silence between the two of them, "how come I have to go away for so long every time I go to sleep?"

Regina sighed. "It's just the way it is, Little One. One day though, you'll stop going away in your sleep. When you're bigger, and you'll just be here all the time."

"At your house?"

Regina smiled. "If that's where you want to be," she said. She hardly expected that the thirty year old Miss Swan would still want to sleep in her obnoxiously pink bedroom when this was all over with, but she didn't see any harm in making the promise to the five year old version.

"It is… Gina?" Emma asked again.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Why did my Mommy call me 'Little One' yesterday?"

Regina cringed. She had caught that, too, and wanted to smack Snow when it happened. "I don't know, honey."

"I only like it when you say it," Emma insisted.

"I know," Regina agreed.

"Tell Mommy not to say it again," Emma said.

Regina sighed, imagining how well _that_ conversation would go.

"Gina?"

Regina smiled and shook her head. "Yes, Emma?"

"How come you don't like my Mommy and Daddy?"

"I do like them, Emma. But adults sometimes disagree on what's the best thing to do, and that's what was happening yesterday. I doesn't mean we don't like each other, it just means we have strong feelings on the subject," Regina tried to explain.

"They don't like you," Emma said, flatly. Leave it to a child to not even attempt to soften the blow.

"What makes you say that?" Regina asked.

"They think you want to steal me away."

"They told you that?" Regina didn't want to believe that the Charmings' would be stupid enough to say that to a child, but then again, she had given them the nickname of 'the two idiots' for a reason.

"I heared them talking when they thought I was sleeping," Emma shrugged.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, Emma," Regina sighed. "But I'm glad you told me."

At times like this, Regina wished the Evil Queen was not so far buried. Maybe a little fireball would change the Charmings' mind. She mentally kicked herself for thinking like that. It wasn't the answer.

"Why do you like it here, Emma?" Regina asked, finally. Even after all these years of raising Henry, she still couldn't understand why a child would choose her. Snow had adored her and she had been nothing but horrible to her, nearly from the start. Henry had the chance to leave and never come back with Emma, but he didn't take it. And now here was Emma, choosing her over what should look like perfect parents, in the eyes of a child.

Emma smiled. "You're the best Mommy I've had," she said, simply.

"What about your own Mommy?"

Emma shrugged and looked down. "I don't know. You wanted me first. No one ever wanted me before."

Regina knew the morally correct thing to do at this moment would likely be to remind Emma that her parents wanted her, too. But Emma was right: Regina had wanted her first. She wanted her before anyone ever even knew this child was Emma. David saw her the first night, and he hadn't offered to take her in then. No, it had been Regina, right from the start.

So, instead, she just pulled Emma into a tight hug. She knew, all too well, what it was like to not be wanted. She wasn't about to let this little girl feel like that, ever again.

"Gina?" Emma asked, again.

Regina laughed. "Yes, Emma?"

"Can you put me in dance class?"

That one took Regina by surprise. "Why do you want to go to dance class?" she asked. Emma had shown no interest in it before now, and knowing the adult version as well as the child version, Regina could tell co-ordination wasn't exactly her strong point. Dance did not seem like something she would excel at.

"The Mommy with the dog, her daughter is in dance class and she gets to dress pretty and I want to do that. And I want to go to school. The Mommy with the dog said I should be in school by now."

Regina nodded. They seemed like reasonable requests, but she wasn't exactly sure how school was supposed to work, with Emma aging so rapidly. Then again, what was she supposed to do, tell her 'no, you can't go to school'?

Regina was also well aware that registering Emma in school without her parents' consent was going to cause a huge issue. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed to run this past David and Snow, first. She sighed and sent Snow a text, asking her to meet at the diner at lunch. At least their meeting would be short, since Snow would have to get back to work.

Regina sent Emma off to wake up Henry, as she headed downstairs to start on breakfast. She smiled to herself as she let the cat pawing at the glass door back inside, and wondered how on earth she ever let herself become so domesticated. Not that she minded.

_You're the best Mommy I've had._

Emma's words repeated her in head, and it made Regina's heart hurt to think that this child had had enough mother-figures in her life that she was able to rank them. She was secretly glad to know that she still beat out the nice Mommy with the big dog, but devastated at the fact that there was even a competition at all.

After a relatively quiet breakfast, and once Henry had been dropped off at school, Regina took Emma to the backyard to practice her magic for a while. She was still amazed at what a natural the child was. As strong as her magic was, it didn't come as a shock to her that Emma was able to manifest her magic from time to time outside of Storybrooke.

Regina thought it was too bad she couldn't have manifested more of her magic during her real childhood. Perhaps she could have taught some of those foster parents a lesson, Carrie-style. But she supposed it didn't matter now. Her childhood had been what it was.

"Look Gina!" Emma cried out, holding up a small green garter snake. Apparently, practicing magic had lost her attention, as it usually did after a while.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I thought I told you I hate snakes?"

Emma grinned. "But he's _so_ cute and I already named him Mr. Noodle 'cause he wiggles like a noodle!" she insisted, as she stepped closer to Regina with the snake. "He's not scary! He only has a teeny-tiny mouth, see?"

"I'm not afraid of snakes, Emma. I just don't particularly like them," Regina corrected. And then she had an idea, remembering the snails in the garden that Henry had said she would like. "You know who is a afraid of snakes?"

"Who?" Emma asked, her eyes wide.

"Henry," Regina replied. "And Henry has a little payback coming to him. Come here, Emma, and hold that snake up," Regina instructed, pulling out her phone to take a picture. She immediately texted the picture to Henry, with the caption '_What do you think of Emma's new pet?'_

"You're still not bringing him in the house," Regina reminded her, "but when Henry gets home, we're going to tell him you lost Mr. Noodle in his bedroom."

Emma grinned from ear to ear. Regina knew she shouldn't encourage this kind of behaviour, but she figured Emma was going to grow up to be Emma, regardless, so what was the harm in a little fun? After all, Henry did have it coming, after the snail incident.

"Now, say goodbye to Mr. Noodle and put him back where you found him. We have to go meet your mother for lunch to talk about school for you."

Emma trudged back to the garden, reluctantly, and Regina shuddered as she watched Emma kiss the snake's head, before putting him down. She sent Emma inside to wash her hands, and they set out for the diner.

When they arrived, Snow was already in the booth, waiting for them. She held out her arms for Emma, who ran and gave her mother a hug. Regina hated the little tug of jealousy she got whenever she saw it, and tried to push that feeling away. Emma still liked her more, there was nothing to be jealous of anyway, she reminded herself.

"Regina," Snow greeted, as Regina sat down, opposite Snow and Emma, in the booth.

Regina gave a tight smile. "Snow."

"Mommy! Can I have grilled cheese?" Emma asked, excitedly, bouncing in her seat.

"Yes, honey," Snow smiled. Snow and Emma made a bit of small talk while they placed their orders and waited for their food. Emma told Snow all about Mr. Noodle, who in Emma's mind was a three foot long boa constrictor, who apparently also had long fangs that could kill you with one bite. Snow looked at Regina in horror.

"Garter snake," Regina corrected. "I told you she exaggerates. And boa constrictors aren't venomous, anyway."

"I see," Snow said, curtly. The subject of snakes was a touchy one between the two women, for obvious reasons, that Emma was completely oblivious to.

"Emma would like to go to school," Regina said suddenly, changing the trajectory of the conversation.

Snow's eyes snapped up. "She would? How, um, how would that even work?"

Regina shrugged. "It will work if we make it work. No one progressed in grades for twenty eight years, if you recall. What would be the issue if she advances every month? She'll have her actual schooling, from her real childhood, to fall back on anyway."

Snow nodded. "Okay. So, did you enrol her?"

"No," Regina said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Despite what you and your husband may think, I'm not actually trying to usurp your roles in this. You're her parents. You have to enrol her."

"Okay," Snow nodded, "I'll fill out the paperwork this afternoon."

Emma grinned. "Then I can go to school this afternoon?"

"You'll probably start next week," Snow said, smiling. Emma pouted a little, but seemed to accept the answer.

"What about dance class?" Emma piped up.

"Yes, she would also like to take dance," Regina said, "I looked it up, and there's a dance class two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, at the rec centre at 5:00pm," Regina rattled off, from memory.

"Okay," Snow nodded slowly, "David works late those days. Well, most days, now that he's the only Sheriff. And I have Mommy and Me classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from four 'til six."

This time, Regina really did roll her eyes. "I can take her."

"Regina," Snow sighed, shaking her head.

"What? She wants to go, and I can take her. What's the problem?"

Snow signed again, and looked at Emma, who was looking up at her, expectantly.

"Fine, you can take her. You can pick her up from school on Mondays and Wednesdays and take her to dance," Snow said. "And she comes home with me today."

"Fine, after dinner," Regina said.

"No, I'll pick her up when I'm done work."

"It's Friday," Regina pointed out, "don't you have Mommy and Me class?"

Snow closed her eyes for a moment. "Fine. After dinner."

Minutes later, Snow excused herself to go back to work, and Emma hopped out of the booth to let her mother exit. Once Snow was gone, Emma slid in next to Regina, instead.

"Why do you look so sad, Little One? You're getting to go to school and dance class. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, but, I want to sleep at your house again tonight."

"I know you do," Regina nodded, "but you have to spend a little time with Mommy and Daddy, because they miss you, too."

"But they have Neal! You don't have anyone when I'm gone!" Emma insisted.

"I have Henry," Regina reminded her.

"But Henry's not little! He doesn't play with you and hug you and kiss you and sit on your lap! He just plays video games and does homework and I don't want you to be lonely!"

Regina smiled and pulled Emma up on to her lap. "You're sweet to worry about me, Little One, but I promise I won't be lonely."

Emma continued to pout, and started to play with the pendant around her neck. "I can always come back to you, anyway," she pointed out.

"Yes, but we don't poof without permission, do we?"

"Sometimes it's an accident," Emma reminded her, and Regina knew from her tone of voice, the next poof would be anything but an accident. And yet, she didn't care.

* * *

When Henry got home from school that afternoon, Regina and Emma were ready to pull their prank. Emma had rehearsed her lines, and was waiting upstairs, listening for Henry to come in.

"Mom!" Henry cried, as he threw open the door and found Regina waiting in the lobby.

"Yes, Henry?" Regina asked, sweetly.

"Tell me you didn't let her keep that snake! She already has a cat, she doesn't need it!" Henry insisted, his voice an octave higher than it usually was.

"Well, it was that or a frog, and snakes are quieter," Regina pointed out.

"No! Mom! Seriously, you know I hate snakes!"

"Gina!" Emma screeched, running down the stairs, right on cue.

"What is it Little One?" Regina asked, turning to her with an eyebrow raised.

"Mr. Noodle got out of his cage!"

Regina glanced at Henry. His face was turning white. "Henry," she scoffed, "he's just a garter snake. He only had a teeny-tiny mouth," she said, before turning back to Emma. "Where did he get out?"

"In Henry's room!" Emma cried.

"No! Mom! Use your magic! Get it out of there, I'm serious!"

"Well, I can't use my magic if I can't _see _him," Regina said, nonchalantly. "If we put some food out, I'm sure he'll come out to get it, won't he? What do snakes eat?"

"Mouses," Emma said, matter-of-factly. "But they don't eat every day, and Mr. Noodle didn't look very hungry."

"Mo-oom!"

Emma lost it at Henry's last outcry. She started giggling uncontrollably, and Regina couldn't help but smirk. She should have known Emma couldn't keep this up for long, but it was likely for the best, since Henry looked like he might actually pass out.

Henry looked back and forth between Emma and Regina, and slowly started to realize that he was being played. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I should have known you wouldn't actually let her have that snake."

"What?" Regina asked, feigning innocence, "I thought you would like it."

"This is payback for the snails, isn't it?" Henry asked. The smirk on his mother's face said it all.

"We got him good, Gina!" Emma exclaimed, holding up her little hand for a high five.

"Yes, we did, Baby Girl," Regina agreed.

"Yeah, well, two can play at this game," Henry huffed, as he grabbed his bookbag and headed up the stairs.

"Bring it on," Regina called after him, shaking her head.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked, looking at Regina, incredulously.

"It means Henry's going to try to get us back," Regina laughed. "Lucky for us, it's two against one."

"I might help him," Emma said, with a shrug.

Regina shook her head. "If you're going to be a double-agent, the wise thing would be to not tell the one you're double-crossing."

"Oh. I am … not going to help him," Emma said, trying to sound convincing.

"Go," Regina said, and Emma took off up the stairs. Regina couldn't help but laugh again. Emma, even as an adult, acted more like Henry's friend than his mother, most of the time. She was glad he was getting to experience that, again. She tried to remember that in all of this – the ongoing battle between herself and the Charmings' as to where Emma belonged – that Emma didn't come back to her, or to her parents. She had come back to Henry.

This whole thing, this second chance, it was about Emma, that was true. But it was about Henry, too, and Regina would be damned if she was going to let the Charmings' screw this up for her son.

David had said he wasn't about to give Emma up without a fight, and Regina realized that she wasn't either.

"Bring it on," Regina said quietly, to herself. She had meant it in gest to Henry. She meant it in completely seriousness to the Chramings.


	11. Chapter 11

**To everyone asking if this is going to end up Swan Queen romantic or not: the answer is…. I don't know. I mean, Emma's five right now, I'm not currently thinking like that. Ask me again when Emma's a teenager, and maybe then I'll know :)**

**And, because it might not always be obvious, every chapter so far (except the Emma POV and the beginning with Henry) had been from Regina's POV. Those are her thoughts on the Charmings in the previous chapter. Yes, she's probably biased… no not ****_probably_****, very much so! Yes, they mirror my opinions of the Charmings in a lot of ways, but also exaggerated. I believe that Regina would have to do a lot of rationalizing to be able to deal with the things she has done, and that's what she does a lot of in this story, as well.**

**Oh, and one final thing: if you are finding you can't review the chapters, it's probably because when I condensed them , so if, for example, you left a review on the old chapter 10, I don't think it will let you leave a review on the new chapter 10. I have received some inbox messages to this effect, and that's the only reason I can think of. I didn't know that would happen when I condensed the chapters. But, you can always inbox me any time as well :) Seriously, I like it lol**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Emma giggled as she snuck into Henry's room. He was flopped on his bed already, with his homework out.

"Hi, Henry," she said, with an impish grin.

"Oh, hi, Emma," Henry said, shaking his head, "back for more pranks?"

"No! I wanna help you get Gina!" Emma nearly squealed in excitement.

"Oh, you do?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow and sitting up motioning for Emma to join him. She jumped up next to him, and waited, expectantly, for him to unveil his fiendish plan. "Okay, well, I don't have an idea yet, so you'll have to help me tonight."

Emma stuck her lip out in a pout. "I have to go home tonight," she said.

"Oh," Henry nodded. "I didn't know.

Emma looked down. "I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here and play with you and Gina."

"Don't be sad, Emma," Henry sighed. "Your Mommy and Daddy will play with you, too. You'll have fun there."

Emma wasn't so sure when the Charming's arrived to pick up their daughter. She looked sadly back at the doorstep where Regina stood with her arm around Henry, waving. Emma waved back sadly, as she dragged her backpack of toys she was bringing home with her.

She climbed into the car and sat next to Neal, who looked up at her from his car seat. "He smells!" Emma exclaimed, plugging her nose for emphasis.

"I know," Snow acknowledged. "I have to change him when we get home. Maybe you can help?"

"Maybe I can't help," Emma said, shaking her head. She had been around enough babies in foster care to know nothing good came from smells like that. She wanted to be as far away as possible when that diaper came off.

When they reached the loft, Emma ran up the stairs to her room and flung her backpack on the bed, while Snow set about changing her brother's diaper. Emma sat at the top of the stairs and watched, waiting for the moment she knew it would be safe for her nose to come back down.

She didn't like her room at the loft. It was boring, and she was glad Regina had suggested to bring home some toys with her. To her surprise, there were a few new toys waiting for her on the coffee table downstairs, when she finally re-entered the room.

"These are for you, Little One," Snow said, gesturing to the toys.

Emma scrunched up her nose. "You can't call me that."

"Why not?"

"It's special. It's Gina's name. You have to call me something else," Emma shrugged, as if the answer should be obvious. She wandered over to the toys, completely oblivious to the hurt look on her mother's face.

"Can Neal play with me?" Emma asked, as she pulled a princess Barbie from its package.

"No, Sweetheart, he's too little," Snow explained, as she crossed the room to sit near her daughter. David walked over with Neal and his bottle, and sat down on the couch.

Emma pouted. "Who am I supposed to play with then?" she whined.

"Well, Sweetheart, who do you play with at Regina's?" Snow asked.

"Kitty Soft Paws," Emma answered. "Can I get a cat for here?"

Snow sighed. "Maybe. Not tonight."

Emma was about to protest when there was a knock at the door. Emma craned her neck, trying to see who her mother was speaking to, but the other person was just out of Emma's view, so she gave up and turned her attention back to her toys.

Whomever it was didn't stay long, and Emma didn't miss a small nod between her mother and her father, but she still had no clue what was actually happening.

"Emma, come have some juice before bed," Snow called from the kitchen, and Emma jumped up.

"Apple juice?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yes, honey, here," Snow smiled, handing her daughter the cup. Emma examined it closely, and decided it looked fine, before taking a big drink.

"Did you sign me up for school?" Emma asked, bouncing a little as she asked.

"Yes, honey," Snow nodded, running her fingers through Emma's hair. "You start on Monday, bright and early. Kindergarten. I hope you're excited."

"I am! And dance class?"

Snow frowned slightly. "I think Regina's going to take care of that. Honey, drink your juice, okay?"

Emma nodded, and took another big gulp. "This juice tastes funny," Emma said, looking into the cup again, suspiciously this time.

"It's probably just a different brand than Regina buys," Snow insisted, "it's fine, Emma."

"I like the kind Regina has. She doesn't buy it, she makes it with her own apples," Emma pouted.

"Well, then I will ask her to make some to have here, alright?" Snow asked.

"Can you ask her to send it right now?" Emma asked. "I could use my magic to bring it here."

"No, honey, I'll ask her tomorrow. Remember, we don't use magic here unless it's an accident, right? Because Mommy and Daddy don't have magic and we can't help you if something goes wrong," Snow reminded her.

"Nothing goes wrong," Emma insisted. "Gina says I'm good at magic."

"I'm sure you are, Emma," David said, as he joined them in the kitchen. "But the rule still stands. No magic when you're not with Regina."

Emma pouted as she finished her juice. She considered the possibility that she could use magic anyway, and her parents couldn't stop her, and even if they got mad, she could just poof away, but then she considered that Regina might be mad, too, and she would have no place else to go. Juice wasn't worth it, she supposed.

"Alright, honey, time for bed," Snow said, picking Emma up and carrying her up the stairs to her room. They had filled her dresser with clothes her size, despite Regina's offer to send some of the clothes she bought home with Emma. Snow helped Emma into a pair of mint green feetie pajamas, and tucked her into bed, laying down beside her.

"How about I read you a story?" Snow offered. Emma nodded as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder and listened to _Green Eggs and Ham_ until she fell asleep.

* * *

Emma woke with a start. Her bed was empty now, and the room was dark and she'd just had a terrible dream-memory. She blinked a couple times, about to scream for Regina, until she remembered where she was. She couldn't call for her, so she would poof to her.

She concentrated hard on Regina, mustering up all the energy inside her to bring herself to her target and….

Nothing.

She was still in her room. It wasn't working.

Emma sighed and tried to refocus the best that her five-year-old mind would let her. She pictured Regina perfectly in her mind and her little body trembled with the amount of effort she was putting forth and….

Still nothing.

Emma was starting to panic. She was sure she was trying to poof correctly, but something was blocking her. She wondered for a moment if Regina was doing something to stop her from poofing to her. Maybe if she poofed to Kitty Soft Paws instead? Emma hoped that the cat was inside and not in the backyard with the door locked as she focused all her energy on the image of her cat.

Nothing.

Still in her room. Still in her bed. Something was very, very wrong.

She looked at her hands, trying to bring forth any magic, but she didn't seem able to conjure any at all. She wanted to cry but she willed herself to stay strong. The Mommy in her dream had told her only babies cry.

_Suck it up, Emma. We're sick of hearing from you. If you're going to cry, go to your room, so the rest of us can hear the TV._

No. She wouldn't cry. She wasn't a baby. She would find Regina another way and Regina would fix her magic.

She slipped silently out of her bed and scooped Spiderman up in her hand, before tiptoeing across the floor. The feetie pajamas combined with experience sneaking through a house at night knowing better than to wake anyone up on a midnight bathroom trip helped Emma as she descending the stairs in complete silence.

She peeked into her parents' room, where they slept soundly. She considered waking them up, but she remembered what her mother had said: if something went wrong with her magic, they couldn't help. She couldn't really tell them she had _tried_ to use magic anyway, because she wasn't allowed to use it there. Regina said the same thing, but she never seemed to really be mad when Emma did it anyway.

Emma spotted her mother's phone on the counter and picked it up, before tiptoeing back up the stairs. She thought she might call Regina, not that she knew what her phone number was, or even how to spell Regina.

She turned on the phone and clicked buttons until she found a list of names. They all looked foreign, since Emma couldn't really read much, but one stuck out: Henry. She'd seen his name several times, as he seemed to write it on all his books. She would call Henry.

She scanned the phone and made a lucky guess that the green button with the picture of a phone receiver was the one she wanted. She'd never used a cell phone, but it wasn't all that hard to figure out. She held the phone to her ear and heard ringing, and then a groggy "hello?"

"Henry?" Emma whispered.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Henry asked, sounding fully alert and awake now. "Did something happen?"

"I need to talk to Gina!" Emma whined, in a still hushed voice.

"Ok, I'm going to get her. Emma, are you okay? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah I just want to talk to Gina!" Emma insisted. She could hear Henry waking her up through the phone, and breathed a small sigh of relief. It was mere seconds before Regina's voice came through the phone. "Emma? What's wrong?"

"My magic is broken!" Emma cried, forgetting to keep her voice down this time.

"What? What do you mean?" Regina asked, confused.

"I tried to poof and it doesn't work! It broke!"

"Emma?" Emma heard Snow's voice from downstairs, and she realized she had been far too loud. Volume control wasn't really her strong point. She flinched as Snow ran up the stairs, remembering a time when she woke a Daddy up in the night and he spanked her and but her back to bed. She didn't want a spank tonight.

Snow picked Emma up the second she made it to the top of the stairs. "Emma, baby, what's wrong? Who are you talking to?"

Emma didn't answer, confused as to what she was supposed to do right now. She couldn't tell her mother she tried her magic.

"Emma, is that Mommy? Can you put her on the phone?" Regina's voice came through the other end.

"Uh huh," Emma said, quietly, before handing the phone to her mother. "It's Gina."

"Regina?" Snow asked, as she sat down on the bed with Emma in her lap, still quite clearly confused. "What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Regina said. "Henry just brought me the phone saying Emma called. She says her magic is broken. Snow… what did you do?"

There was a long pause. Long enough that Regina knew Snow was hiding something when she spoke again. "Nothing, Regina. Can we talk about this tomorrow? It's late."

The cloud of purple smoke in the room told Snow that the answer was no, they definitely couldn't talk about it tomorrow. They were going to talk about it right now.

Emma jumped off her mother's lap and ran to Regina, grabbing her legs and squeezing hard the second she materialized and the smoke dissipated. Regina had managed to show up in black slacks and a burgundy blouse, having no intention of showing up at the Charming loft in her sleepwear. She could sense right away that something was wrong with Emma's magic.

"Little One," Regina said, crouching down in front of her. She could see David standing at the bottom of the stairs, no doubt wondering what all the commotion was. "Can you go downstairs with Daddy for a few minutes while I talk to Mommy?"

"No!" Emma wailed, grabbing on to Regina again. "I want to stay with you."

"Sweetheart, I _need_ to talk to Mommy about grown-up things. You need to go downstairs," Regina insisted. "I will see you when we're done. It won't take long."

Emma pouted as she made her way slowly down the stairs to her father, who took her to the kitchen to make her a snack, to distract her from whatever was going on upstairs.

Regina sighed and turned back to Snow, who looked guilty as sin sitting there on the edge of Emma's bed. Regina took up the spot next to her, and couldn't help but think how this felt oddly familiar to old times in the castle when it had been her job to speak to Snow when she had gotten herself into trouble.

"Talk," Regina said, simply, just as she had done when Snow was a child.

Snow let out an exasperated sigh. "It was a potion, from the Blue Fairy. It blocks her magic."

Regina could feel the anger rising up in her chest, threatening to boil over. She tried to remind herself that her former step-daughter was clueless when it came to how magic worked, but it was hard not to want to smack her.

"The Blue Fairy gave you something to supress Emma's magic, and you didn't think it would be wise to ask me, first?" Regina asked, through gritted teeth.

"I'm her mother," Snow said, defensively.

"That you are," Regina scoffed. "And you know nothing about magic."

"But Blue does. And I trust her," Snow replied.

"You trust her? Need I remind you that it is also partially her fault that you were not able to travel with your daughter to this world? Or did you forget that she deceived you then, when it mattered most?"

Snow gaped for a moment, before replying. "She wouldn't give me something that would hurt Emma."

"Snow," Regina sighed, closing her eyes and silently counting to ten before continuing. "Emma's magic is a part of her. You don't just get to block it out because you can't deal with it."

"It's not about that," Snow said, shaking her head. "As long as she has magic, she has to be with you. She belongs here, with us."

"So you're going to risk her mental health to achieve that?"

"Don't you think that's a little extreme, Regina?"

"No. I don't. It's part of her and you can't just block it out. And what do you honestly think will happen when she grows up and learns what you did? She didn't react all that well the last time she learned about how you screwed with her magic, if you recall?"

"This is different, Regina," Snow insisted.

"Is it?"

Regina sighed as she saw Emma staring up expectantly from the bottom of the stairs. "Come here, Little One," Regina called down. Emma grinned and ran up the stairs, hopping onto Regina's lap. Regina lifted her hand and a wave of purple magic trickled over Emma, causing her to giggle.

"What did you just do?" Snow gasped.

"I fixed her magic," Regina replied, rolling her eyes.

"Regina!" Snow cried, but Regina shot her a warning glare telling her this was not the time or place.

"Can you give me a few minutes to talk to Emma, please?" Regina asked, "and then I will go home and you can go back to bed."

Snow sighed and got up, heading back down the stairs to her husband, explaining to him what had just transpired.

"Why are you mad, Gina?" Emma asked, poking Regina in the forehead.

"I'm not," Regina insisted, "and why are you poking me?"

"Henry said your forehead gets all veiny when you're mad. It's stickin' out right now," Emma said, poking the protruding vein again.

"Okay, Emma, enough," Regina said, though she really couldn't help but laugh at this point. "We need to talk."

"Am I in trouble?" Emma asked, softly.

"No Little One, you're not. I want to talk to you about why you wanted to poof to me tonight. What happened?"

Emma sighed and leaned back against Regina, filling her in on all that had happened in her dream-memory. Regina cringed as she listened to yet another terrible situation the child had been in. She supposed it was wishful thinking on her part to think the girl would have gone to a good home after the brief time with the nice lady with the big dog.

She realized she really shouldn't expect many good homes at all, because, realistically, if Emma had ended up in a good home, she wouldn't have bounced around quite so much.

When Emma fell silent, Regina looked down and realized the child was asleep. She tucked her back into her bed, and headed downstairs to speak to the two idiots.

"We need to work out a game plan," Regina said, simply.

"No," David corrected, "you need to go home."

"Like it or not, your daughter likes to spend time with me," Regina sighed. "And there's no way in hell I am letting you screw with her magic. This is your only warning. You want your daughter, I understand that, but Henry needs her too, and she needs me, whether you choose to see that at all."

"Regina's right," Snow sighed. "We need to figure something out and present a united front. It's the only way to make this work, because Emma's just going to poof herself back to Regina ever moment she gets. We're taking her to the park tomorrow afternoon, Regina. Why not meet us there and we can talk."

"Sounds lovely," Regina smirked, before poofing back to her own bedroom.

Henry was still awake and sitting on Regina's bed. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, fine. Your grandparents are just idiots," Regina sighed.

"Mom!" Henry gasped.

"Sorry. I know you look up to them. It really was the fairy's fault, anyway. I just wish they didn't have to be so stubborn about this whole thing."

"You miss Emma," Henry smiled, and Regina climbed into bed.

"Go to bed, Henry," Regina said, deciding to evade the question.

Regina caught Henry's grin as he left the room.

He had a point. She did miss Emma. But how could she not? The kid had grown on her.

* * *

**AN: I know a lot of you want Emma to be with Regina full time, and that was what I originally wanted to, but I decided against it because A) the story would be way too long and B) IF it ends up being SwanQueen romantic, I can't have Regina being Emma's mom because that's too weird. She can take care of her but it has to be clear roles that Snow is her mother.**

**So, moving forward, the story will still be about Emma and Regina's time together, but she's not going to move in with Regina full time at this point. Plus, having two homes helps set up some ideas I have for the future, particularly Emma's teen years (I know that's still way off, but I'm still thinking about it!)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_Park at 1:00. Splash pad. Dress appropriately._

Regina stared down at the text her phone, wondering exactly what Snow meant by 'dress appropriately', since she had no intentions of getting wet, splash pad or not.

"Morning," Henry said, as he strolled into the kitchen. "What are you looking so perturbed about?"

Regina smirked, and resisted the urge to call his grandmother an idiot again. "Nothing, honey. And good morning. I'm meeting your grandparents and Emma at the park this afternoon. I don't suppose you'd like to come along?"

Henry grinned. "Yeah, I'll come. Are they taking her in the splash pad?"

"Apparently," Regina sighed, as she handed Henry his breakfast. If she hadn't have been so distracted thinking about Emma and the Blue Fairy and all that had transpired the evening before, she might have remembered Henry's promise to prank her back, or even noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Nice," Henry grinned. "I'll bring my swim trunks."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little old for the splash pad?" she asked.

Henry shrugged. "Well, I figured Emma can't go in it alone, right? And you're obviously not going to want to take her in, and Grandma and Grandpa have Neal to worry about, so I'll take her in. I miss her. It will be good to spend some time with her."

Regina smiled and nodded. "I think she'd like that," she agreed.

* * *

"Gina!"

Regina turned to see Emma bounding at her, full speed. She and Henry had gotten to the park a little before one, and had claimed a good spot at a bench under a big shady tree, with a full view of the entire splash pad. The park was extremely busy since it was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, and Regina was glad that Henry had worn his bathing suit after all, since she really didn't want Emma in the splash pad alone with that many people.

Regina couldn't help but grin at Emma's appearance as she ran up and wrapped her arms around Regina's legs. The little girl had on a ladybug bathing suit, red with black spots and smiling lady bug face on the front, big yellow sunglasses and clear glittery jelly shoes. Regina noted that she would have likely coordinated Emma's outfit better, but she had to give Snow credit: the kid looked cute.

"Come here and get your sunscreen on!" Snow called, as she approached the bench under the tree. David was close behind with Neal in the stroller. Neal was in a swim diaper and blue trunks with blue baby sunglasses on, and Regina couldn't help but smile at him, too.

Emma stood in front of her mother with her arms out and giggled as Snow sprayed on the waterproof SPF 100. Emma was pasty white and she didn't want to deal with a sunburnt little girl.

"Now, listen, Emma," Snow said, once she was done. "Remember what we talked about. Neal is little so you have to stay with us in the little part, okay?"

Emma lip stuck out in a pout as she eyed the 'big kids' part of the splash pad. It looked _way _more fun. It had sprayers everywhere, and a slide and a giant bucket that filled up with water and then dumped on everyone's head. "I don't wanna go to the baby part!"

"Neal's too little for the big part, and you can't go in alone," Snow reminded her.

"I brought my swim trunks, Grandma," Henry cut in. "I can take her in the big part."

Emma beamed at the suggestion. "Please Mommy? I wanna play with Henry in the big part! Please?"

Snow sighed and looked at Henry. "Don't let her out of your sight," she instructed.

"I won't," Henry agreed, before heading off to change into his swim trunks.

Snow took off her swimsuit cover-up and lifted Neal from the stroller as David took the seat next to Regina.

"No splash pad for you?" Regina asked, as they watched Snow and Neal head off to the little part. Emma bounced around excitedly in front of them, waiting for Henry to return from the change room.

"Nah," David said, holding up this cell phone, "I'm on call at the station."

"Ah, I see. Wouldn't want to be defending the streets of Storybrooke in a Speedo," she smirked.

"You couldn't handle me in a Speedo," David retorted. "I'd hate to see you swoon."

Regina raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. Moments later, Henry was back.

"Ready to go, Emma?" he asked.

"Sunscreen!" Emma insisted, holding up the bottle to spray Henry. She could only reach up to his stomach, so he had to take the can to finish the rest of his body.

"Okay, _now_ are you ready?" he grinned.

Emma nodded, and took Henry's hand as they ran off into the splash pad.

"Henry would have made a good big brother," Regina noted, as she watched them spray each other with the swivelling water guns near the middle of the play area.

"He would have," David nodded in agreement. "He's a good kid. You did a good job with him, Regina."

Regina's head snapped around, and she gaped at David for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I could have sworn hell just froze over. I thought you just complimented my parenting skills."

David chuckled. "Well, you've made vast improvements since the first time you attempted to parent a child." Regina smirked as David continued. "Snow and I were talking about it this morning. Emma really loves you, and I think we've all got to accept that it can't be all or nothing. Ideally, we'd like to raise our daughter – just us – but you found her first and you bonded with her first and with her magic, I think we all know that's not possible."

"No, it's not," Regina agreed. "And it's not just you and Snow and me, there's also Henry to consider."

"Right," David nodded. "So I think we need to call a truce."

"What are your terms?"

"We were thinking, you could take Emma while Snow and I are at work, rather than having Granny babysit – when she's not at school, that is. Snow said you and she already agreed that you will take her to dance class. Obviously, you can take her for magic lessons, and we were thinking maybe a weekly sleep over? Something for Emma to look forward to, and maybe stop her from poofing to your house every night. But she would live mainly with us."

Regina nodded slowly, processing the offer. She didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, she realized, since she had no parental claim to Emma, and they were well within their rights to tell her she couldn't see her at all; not that it would have made a difference if they did try to forbid her, what with Emma's magic, but Regina appreciated the attempt at making this all work for all of them.

"Okay," she agreed, finally. "That sounds fair. And I have one stipulation."

"Regina, I don't think you're really in the position to be making demands here," David sighed.

"It's not a demand, it's a request. And it's for Emma's benefit. I already told you I won't tolerate you messing with her magic, but my request is, if that conniving pixie says anything else to you about Emma, or offers any sort of solution, please tell me. I'm not asking because I think I have any claim on Emma, I'm asking because I know magic and I don't trust that fairy."

"Okay," David nodded. "We will trust your judgement as far as Emma's magic is concerned."

"Good. I must say, that was surprisingly quick and painless," Regina noted, earning a laugh and a head shake from David.

Regina smiled as she looked back over to the splash pad. Emma and Henry were completely soaked now, and both grinning from ear to ear. She watched for a few more minutes, until suddenly, Emma turned to look at her.

"Gina! Gina! I need you!" Emma cried, not moving from her spot.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Regina called back, her eyes frantically searching for Henry, who had his back turned to Emma now, spraying some other kid with the water gun.

"Gina! I _need_ you!" Emma yelled again.

Regina stood up and handed her phone to David, before kicking off her shoes and heading out to the splash pad. She was grateful that she had chosen to wear a skirt with no stockings today, as she waded through the ankle deep water to the centre of the splash pad, careful to avoid as many erroneous sprays of water as she could.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asked, as she approached the little girl.

"I missed you," Emma shrugged.

Regina sighed, relieved at least that there was nothing seriously wrong, but annoyed that she was now standing in the middle of the mini water park in her very expensive clothing.

"I missed you, too, Emma, but I could see you just fine from over there," Regina pointed out.

"But you can see me better here," Emma insisted.

"Henry," Regina turned her attention to her son, "why aren't you watching her?"

"Mom! I'm right here!" Henry replied, rolling his eyes. He really was only a couple feet away, but Regina still didn't like his focus taken away from Emma, knowing the girl's penchant for getting herself into trouble in one way or another.

"Okay, well I'm going back to my bench before I get soaked out here," Regina said, but before she got the chance to take a step, she noticed the little grin on Emma's face. Emma was looking up, and against her better judgement, Regina followed the little girl's green eyes up to the top of the structure they were standing under, just in time to see the bucket tip and gallons of water pour over top of both of them.

Regina stood for a moment, soaked from head to toe, her mouth opening and closing a few times, as she literally could not find her voice in the soak of the cold water that just dumped over her. Emma and Henry were laughing hysterically, and it didn't take long for Regina to realize that the two had _planned_ this.

"Mom! You should see your face!" Henry managed to get out between fits of laughter.

"Oh, you think this is funny, do you? This skirt is dry clean only!" Regina snapped, finally finding her voice.

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, I do believe _you_ said 'bring it on'," Henry deadpanned.

Regina wiped her hands over the shirt, trying to straighten it out as much as possible, as the burgundy fabric stuck to her. She lifted up her head, and as regally as she could considering she looked like a drowned rat, she said, "you will live to regret this prank war."

Henry grinned. "Bring. It. On," he challenged.

"And you," Regina said, turning her attention to Emma. "_You_ are supposed to be on my team, you little traitor."

Emma laughed. "I'm a double ancient!"

"Agent," Regina corrected, with a small laugh, before shaking her head and turning back to head toward the bench, where she could clearly see that David was quite enjoying himself as well. She attempted to ignore the stares of the other parents at the splash pad as she made the walk of shame back to the edge, before poofing herself dry.

"Aw, I liked that drowned-rat-chic look you had going on," David teased as Regina sat back down beside him.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't want you to swoon, now would I?" Regina retorted.

"Hey, don't be like that. I heard you started this whole prank war, anyway."

"You were misinformed. Henry started it. I just took it up a notch," Regina insisted. "And your little hell-raiser is playing both sides and somehow never on the receiving end of a prank."

"She's five, Regina," David reminded her.

"Yes, well, she won't be five forever, now will she?"

David laughed again, and shook his head, still marvelling at how they ever got _here_, from where they started out. He wasn't about to complain, though. He would take watching the former Evil Queen pout like a petulant child after being pranked by his daughter and grandson over fearing for his and his true love's life any day.

"Hey," he said, after a few minutes of silence passed between the two, "why don't you and Henry come over for dinner tonight at our place? We can discuss our arrangement with Emma and let her know that we are all on the same page here."

Regina nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I'd love to," she agreed.

* * *

After another hour in the water, and long after Snow had already returned with Neal and changed, Henry finally brought a shivering Emma back over to the bench under the tree.

"Henry! She's freezing!" Regina exclaimed, as she grabbed a towel and wrapped Emma up tight.

"She wouldn't leave! I've been trying to get her to come back for half an hour! She doesn't listen."

Regina turned to look at Emma again. "Is that true, Little One?"

Emma nodded and stuck out her lip in a pout. "Don't be mad. I never had this much fun before!"

"No one's mad, baby, but you have to listen to Henry when he's watching you, understand?"

"Sorry, Henry," Emma said, still pouting. Regina had to wonder, again, how much of Emma's listening problem she was to blame for, for always letting her get away with everything. She guessed she'd know the answer if it changed now that Emma was with the Charmings.

"Emma, how would you like it if Regina and Henry come over for dinner tonight?" David asked, stepping over to his daughter.

Emma grinned and nodded excitedly. "Yes!"

"Really?" Snow asked, looking at her husband skeptically.

"Yes," David smiled. "Regina and I had a good talk while you were playing with Neal. We've called a truce."

Snow beamed. "That's wonderful," she said, sincerely.

"Well, then, we will see you tonight," Regina said with a smile.

* * *

"Gina!" Emma squealed as Henry and Regina entered the loft that evening for dinner. Regina was growing accustomed to hearing her new nickname being yelled excitedly right before Emma lunged herself at her legs, and it occurred to her as she scooped Emma up, that it wouldn't be very long before she was too big for this. "I missed you!"

"I just saw you two hours ago," Regina laughed.

"You sit beside me for supper, okay?" Emma asked, excitedly, bouncing a little in Regina's arms.

"Yes, of course, Little One." Regina put Emma back on the floor and let her lead her to the table. Henry took the spot on the other side of Emma, and Regina tried to push back the thoughts that _this _is how she wanted it to be: just the three of them. She knew it wasn't healthy to think like that, and it wasn't fair to anyone.

For most of dinner, Emma rattled on and on about the splash pad, as if they all hadn't been there, until it came time to discuss the arrangements Regina and David had worked out.

"But, Gina! I want to come back to your house tonight!" Emma cried, once she learned she would be staying at the loft again tonight.

"You can't, Sweetheart. You start school tomorrow, remember? But I'm going to be there after school to pick you up and take your to your dance class. And then Friday, I'm going to pick you up and you're going to have a sleepover Friday night, okay?"

"No! You'll be sad without me!" Emma insisted.

"Mommy and Daddy will be sad without you," Snow cut in.

Emma looked at her mother and pouted, and turned back to Regina. "But what about Kitty Softpaws? She'll wonder where I am!"

"I will tell her where you are," Regina promised.

"Will you let her sleep in your room when I'm gone?"

"Maybe Henry's room?" Regina suggested, causing Henry to laugh.

"I'm not the one who let the furball in the house, remember?" Henry reminded her.

"Well, we'll discuss Diablo Gato's sleeping arrangements when we get home, alright?" Regina asked, through gritted teeth, making Henry laugh again.

"Don't call her that!" Emma cried.

"Ok, sorry Little One. I won't call her that," Regina said, trying to stifle her own giggle. The name was _far_ more appropriate for that damn cat, as far as Regina was concerned, and it wasn't like Emma would know what she called it when she wasn't around, anyway.

"Well, Emma," David said, "I think it's time to say goodbye to Regina and Henry, so you can get in the bath and ready for bed. You have to be up early to start school tomorrow."

None of them anticipated the meltdown that was about to occur, but in hindsight, Regina guessed they really should have. Emma threw herself on the floor, crying and hitting the ground.

Snow looked at Regina immediately, clearly at a loss for what to do. She had never experienced a tantrum before, having missed Emma's childhood the first time around, and considering that Neal was far too young for behaviour like this.

"Don't look at me," Regina shrugged, "she's your child." Regina wanted nothing more than to pick Emma up and hug her and calm her down, but she knew doing so, in this instance, would be detrimental to the family dynamic that Snow and David were trying to work out. As much as it broke her heart, she had to let Snow learn how to mother her child, just as she'd had to learn how to deal with Henry's meltdowns - and from the look of Emma at the moment, Regina was pretty sure _that_ was genetic.

"Emma, Henry and I are going home now, do you want to say goodbye to us?" Regina asked, as calmly as she could over Emma's crying.

"No!" Emma yelled. "I don't like you anymore!"

"I don't believe that's true, Little One. I think you're just upset because you are not getting your way. Come on, Henry, it's time to go," Regina said, firmly, before stepping closer to Snow and lowering her voice so that only the younger woman could hear. "If you can't calm her down within the next thirty minutes, call me and I will help you."

Snow gave Regina a hopeful smile, and headed over to try to talk her daughter down from her tantrum as Regina and Henry headed out the door.

"I can't believe you're just going to leave her like that!" Henry said, as they headed down the stairs.

"Part of being a parent is having to learn things the hard way," Regina explained. "Kids don't come with instructions. No one taught me how to deal with your tantrums, I just had to learn. The same goes for your grandparents and Emma. They need to learn how to handle this on their own if they want to parent her."

"What about her magic? What if she burns down the loft in her meltdown?"

Regina smiled and shook her head. "She's way too exhausted for that. Magic takes energy and Emma's tired from a long day. I'd be surprised if she could even make a spark at this point."

"Ok, if you're sure," Henry sighed.

About an hour later, Regina received a text from Snow, informing her that the tantrum had been dealt with, and Emma was bathed and in bed. Surprisingly enough, Regina actually felt a little proud of her former step-daughter in that moment - not that she would ever admit that to Snow.

She sighed as she leaned back on her chaise, reading her book in the comfortable silence of the house. She missed Emma, but she realized that the schedule she and David worked out meant that she would still see her nearly every day, and she supposed if she expected Emma to accept it, then she would have to as well.

In the relaxed comfort of the moment, she didn't even notice the little grey cat who curled up on her lap and fell asleep.

* * *

Regina wasn't sure who was more excited when Emma bounded down the steps in the front of the school on Monday afternoon: Emma or herself.

"Gina!" Emma yelled, running to her, like always. She was dressed in one of the outfits Regina had purchased for her: light blue skinny jeans, pink Converse and a white T-Shirt with a picture of a cat in purple sunglasses on the front. Regina also noted that Snow and David had gotten her a Puss N Boots backpack with Kitty Softpaws on it, and she had to smile.

"How was school, Little One?" Regina asked, once Emma was in the car and they headed off toward the dance studio.

"So fun! I made a friend and the teacher is nice but they made us have nap time and I had a bad dream but I still have my necklace and I thought about you when I dreamed so I was okay and we got to have snacks and play outside and there's a fishtank in the classroom and I looked in and one fish looked at me!"

Regina had to laugh when Emma finally stopped talking in order to take a deep breath after rattling all that off in one continuous sentence.

"Mommy said next month I have to go to grade one but no one else in my class will have to go because I'm special," Emma continued.

"Yes, you are, sweetheart," Regina agreed. She knew Emma was still too young to understand what was happening to her, but she was glad she was still young enough to accept things like this without question. She knew they would have a lot to explain to her as she got older. "Are you excited for your first dance class?"

Regina watched as Emma nodded excitedly in the rear view mirror.

"Good," Regina smiled. "I brought some dance clothes for you to change into, but we need to talk about the rules before we go in, okay?"

"What rules?" Emma asked, nervously.

"Well, number one, I want to see you on your best behaviour. That means being polite and using your manners, and listening to what your teacher tells you. And number two - and this is very important, Emma - absolutely no magic in the dance studio. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded. "Mommy said no magic at school, too," Emma pointed out. "When can I ever use magic?"

"When you're with me," Regina said, simply. "At my house," she added, remembering that _technically_ Emma would be with her at the dance studio, and she didn't want the child taking advantage of that fact.

When they arrived at the studio, Regina took Emma into the change room and gave her the new dance clothes she had bought to change into: a little blue tutu and white tights and white dance slippers. She pulled Emma's blonde curls up into a ponytail and smiled at how precious she looked.

"Let's take a picture to show Mommy, shall we?" Regina asked, as she pulled out her phone and Emma grinned for the photo.

Regina led Emma into the main studio, where the five-year-old dance lesson was being held. There were about twenty other girls, all dressed in various colours of tutus and tights. Regina urged Emma to go join the other girls, and she quickly noted that Emma had locked eyes on one girl in particular: a little red-haired child wearing a green tutu and fairy wings.

_Shit._

"Emma!" Regina called her back, and knelt down on the floor to talk to her at eye level. "That little girl isn't really a fairy, you understand that, correct?"

Emma shifted her weight from foot to foot, and looked at the girl again. "She looks like a fairy."

"I know," Regina agreed, "but it's just a costume, so you don't need to be afraid."

"Okay," Emma agreed, though she looked very unsure as she headed back out to rejoin the other girls. Regina found a seat with the rest of the parents, and pulled out her phone to film Emma, as she saw several of the other parents doing for their children.

It started out alright, to Regina's relief. She had been right about Emma's lack of coordination, but to Emma's credit, she wasn't much worse than any of the other kids out there, and she certainly wasn't the only one to fall.

She seemed to even be enjoying herself, until about halfway in, when disaster struck. Somehow, in the midst of their little 'Farmer in the Dell' dance game, Emma had ended up next to the red-haired fairy. Regina put her phone down so she could watch Emma closely, as Emma shot dirty looks at the other little girl. It was only moments later when Emma bumped into the girl, who promptly turned at pushed Emma to the ground. Before Regina could even get up to react, Emma was back on her feet and blasting the girl back with a shot of magic.

"Emma stop!" Regina cried, as she dashed across the room to grab Emma before she could magic the child again. The little girl had only stumbled back a few feet and didn't appear to be hurt, but Regina knew that wasn't going to calm down the furious mother who was running over.

"Angel! Are you okay?" the mother cried, as she helped her daughter to her feet.

"No!" The little red-head shrieked, as she got back to her feet - quite clearly uninjured. "That girl is _bad_!"

"I'm not bad!" Emma yelled back, and Regina could see the tears already starting to fall on her little cheeks. "You pushed me!"

"You should watch where you're going!" the other girl spat back. "You are a bad girl!"

"Okay, that's enough," Regina said to the girl, as Emma was full on crying now, and unable to defend herself any further. Regina stood, picking Emma up, and came face to face with the little girl's enraged mother.

"Mayor Mills," the woman - whom Regina now recognized as Laurie Fuller, the owner of a small bakery downtown - started, "just because _that_ little girl is the Savior reincarnated doesn't mean she gets to go around blasting innocent children with magic! Someone could have been hurt, and it's really not fair to let her out around other children when her magic is quite obviously a danger to them!"

"I'm sorry, Laurie, and I know Emma is too. Your daughter isn't injured, and she did push Emma first. I am working on helping Emma get her magic under control, but I can't very well keep her locked up until then. You said it yourself, she is the Savior reincarnated. She saved all of us more times than you probably even realize. She wasn't trying to hurt your daughter, she was just reacting like a _child_, because currently, she is one."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, softly, and Regina genuinely wasn't sure if she was saying it to the little girl or to her.

"I know you are, Little One. Come on, I think that's enough dance class for today," Regina said, as she headed to pick up Emma's backpack, and then carried her out to the car.

"Am I a bad girl?" Emma asked, as Regina put her in the backseat and helped her with her seatbelt. Normally, Emma could do it herself, but she seemed less than eager to do so right now.

"No, Baby, you're not a bad girl," Regina reassured her.

"But you said no magic and I did magic. Am I in trouble?"

The fear in Emma's big green eyes broke Regina's heart. This little girl was so used to getting in trouble for everything, that she genuinely feared being punished for an accident.

"No, you're not in trouble. But now do you understand why I say no magic unless you're at my house, with me?"

Emma nodded. "I'm sorry," she said, again.

"I know you are, Baby. Everyone makes mistakes, Emma, and I know you didn't do that on purpose," Regina said as she got into her seat and started the car. She also knew that Emma's magic was on edge from the moment she saw that girl dressed like a fairy. She could kill Blue and the Yellow Fairy for all that they had done to Emma, but at this point, she knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"What's a 'savior'?" Emma asked, as they headed back toward the loft.

"Uh," Regina stammered. She wasn't prepared for this question at this time. She was glad, at least, that Emma didn't ask what 'reincarnated' meant. "It's a special job that you will have when you are older. It's something that you were born to do."

Regina watched in the rear view mirror as Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I know you don't, Little One, but one day soon this will all make sense. I promise."

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So, if you follow any of my other fics, then you already know, I have created a weekly update schedule to ensure every story gets updated once a week, and no more get neglected for weeks or months at a time.**

**As such, you may now expect Lost &amp; Found to be updated every Thursday from now until forever… well, not literally, obviously, but you should all know by know it's gonna be an epicly long fic, so expect this to go on for quite some time :)**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"How was dance class?" Snow asked, as Regina entered the loft with Emma, still in her dance clothes.

"Stupid," Emma pouted, stomping her little foot for emphasis. "Stupid class and a stupid fairy and I'm never going back!"

Snow's eyes met Regina's. "Fairy?"

"Angel Fuller, Laurie's daughter, was dressed as a fairy," Regina explained. "She and Emma had a little altercation."

"Altercation? Emma, what happened?" Snow gasped, suddenly panicking, all the scenarios of what could have gone wrong with a magical five year old and a group of children.

"She's not an angel!" Emma insisted, ignoring her mother and turning back to Regina. "She's a stupid fairy and a bad girl!"

"She's not an angel," Regina agreed, "her name is Angel, regardless of how inaccurate it might be."

"So what happened?" Snow asked again, directing her question to Regina this time.

"She had a bit of a magical blow up, but it was fine. I handled it, and no one was hurt," Regina explained, not wanting to give Snow a reason to think Emma's magic was any more of a problem than she already did.

"Gina, am I coming to your house tonight?" Emma asked, still pouting.

"No, baby, Friday night. Four more sleeps."

"No! No more sleeps!" Emma cried, stomping her foot hard. Snow gasped as the lights in the loft flickered.

"Emma, darling, you're going to stay here with Mommy and Daddy tonight," Snow said.

"No!" Emma yelled, before hurling herself to the ground, pounding her fists on the ground.

"Regina, what do I do?" Snow asked, turning to the older woman, panicked.

Regina shrugged. "Be grateful you're not in the middle of the grocery store checkout with an entire cart full of groceries and half the population of Storybrooke staring at you," Regina replied, remembering some of Henry's more epic meltdowns. She was quite sure now that the theatrics were genetic.

"But how do I stop her?" Snow specified.

"You don't."

Snow looked appalled at that answer, so Regina continued. "She knows she's not going to get her way, so she's mad. You have three options here. One, you can give in, which means the likelihood of more tantrums in the immediate future is about one hundred percent. It's called positive reinforcement. You reward behaviour you wish to see continue. If you reward a tantrum, you are guaranteeing more tantrums."

Snow nodded. "Okay, so what are the other two options?"

"Well, you can pick her up and coddle her, or try to reason with her, and still not give her what she wants. In that case, you'd be teaching her that tantrums are rewarded with attention. Or, you can ignore her until she gives up."

"Which teaches her that tantrums are not rewarded and get you nowhere," Snow nodded. "Makes sense. Where did you learn all this?" she asked, deciding to leave off '_because I don't remember you knowing how to be a mother when you were mine."_

Regina smirked. "Experience. Trial and error. And the internet. Look," Regina said, motioning to Emma who was now sitting up and pouting, silently, listening as the adults talked _near_ her but not _to_ her. "Now that she's calm, you pick her up and talk to her."

Regina stood and watched as Snow picked up her daughter. She badly wanted to do it herself, but Snow needed to learn. She listened as Snow calmly reiterated to Emma that she would be sleeping at Regina's Friday, and not tonight, and that no amount of temper tantrums would change that.

And Regina couldn't help but almost feel proud of her former step-daughter in this moment. As much as she was torn as to whether she thought the Charmings deserved a second chance, she supposed Emma really did, and it occurred to her that Emma might grow up to resent her if she stood in the way of her having a relationship with her parents as a child - again.

Emma laid her head on Snow's shoulder and looked over at Regina with those big, green eyes. Regina smiled and walked over.

"I think it's been a very long day," Regina said, looking at Emma, but directing her words to Snow, just to be sure that the woman truly understood where Emma's behaviour was coming from. "First day of school and first day at dance is a lot for one little girl, isn't it Little One."

Emma pouted and nodded again. "No more dance," she said, softly.

"You don't have dance tomorrow," Regina reminded her. "Maybe Wednesday you'll feel like going back, but if you don't want to, that's okay, too. I'm going to go home, now Little One. Henry's waiting for me, and I have to feed Kitty Softpaws."

Emma nodded. "Kay. Say hi to Kitty for me. Tell her four sleeps."

"I will, baby," Regina promised, as she leaned in and give Emma a kiss on the forehead, before turning to Snow. "Call me if you need anything," she said, as if she even doubted Snow would at this point.

Snow nodded. "Thanks. And thanks, Regina, for everything."

* * *

It was just past eight that evening when Regina felt Emma's magic in the house. Sure enough, the girl had poofed herself into the foyer, looking like she was ready for bed in her blue nightgown and her hair still damp from her bath.

"Emma, what did we talk about?" Regina sighed, as she stepped into the foyer.

"No poofing without permission," Emma grinned, "but Mommy said it was okay."

"She did?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma nodded. "I said I just wanted to come say good night."

Regina smiled and scooped Emma up in her arms, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Little One," she said, squeezing her tight.

"You're not mad?" Emma asked, still unsure.

"No, I'm always happy to see you, you know that. If Mommy and Daddy say it's okay, then I want you to poof here every night to tell me good night, as long as you go straight home afterwards so Mommy and Daddy don't worry. How does that sound?"

Emma grinned her toothy grin and nodded, before returning Regina's gesture with her own sloppy kiss to Regina's cheek. "Good night, Gina," she said, before poofing herself back home.

Regina cringed momentarily at the sudden empty feeling in her arms, but shook it off to grab her phone to text Snow and make sure Emma was back.

_She's back. I would have texted you a warning she was coming but she didn't give me a split second to do anything after I said yes. Hope it was okay._

Regina smiled and shook her head, thinking maybe their separation wouldn't be _as_ hard if Emma really could come say 'goodnight' to her every night. Maybe having that to look forward to would ward off some of the temper tantrums as well.

_It was absolutely okay. She can do that every night, if you and David don't mind._

Regina chewed on her lip, waiting for Snow's response, and hoping she wasn't crossing into the territory of what Snow and David thought was overstepping again. Thankfully, a text from Snow came in almost immediately.

_I think it's a great idea, so long as you let her do the same for us when she's with you._

Regina smiled again, amazed at how far she and the Charmings had come in such a short time. It was all because off Emma bringing them together.

It seemed it was always Emma who brought everyone together, and Regina realized she hadn't shown her _nearly_ enough appreciation for that the first time around.

Thank God for second chances.

* * *

After three more days of school, two more nights of poofing to Regina for good night hugs and kisses, and one more dance class that went considerably better than the first one - due to no children wearing fairy wings - it was Thursday, nearly eight, and Regina was waiting for Emma to poof over for her new nightly ritual.

At 8:05, she jumped, when her phone rang instead. She glanced at the screen and felt a small panic when she saw Snow's name there.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked, immediately, knowing the younger woman wouldn't call for nothing at this time of the night.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think Emma's well. She's been acting funny all afternoon, moodier than normal and crying a lot, and now she feels warm. Should I take her to the hospital?"

"How high is her fever?"

"102.6," Snow responded, "that's bad, isn't it?"

"Not terrible. You need to worry when it gets above 104," Regina explained.

"Are you sure? I think I should just take her to the ER," Snow insisted. "David thinks I'm over-reacting… what do you think?"

Regina stopped herself before telling Snow that she agreed with David, the woman was definitely over-reacting, as she remembered how much she panicked the first time Henry got sick. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Can you?" Snow asked, her voice sounding hopeful and relieved at the same time.

"Yes, dear, I'll be right there," Regina sighed. She stepped into the living room where Henry was reading a comic book and let him know where she was going. He declined her offer to come along, as apparently _Wolverine_ was much more exciting than a feverish five-year-old.

Regina opted against poofing over, since she was trying to show Snow she _didn't_ need to panic, and drove over instead, still making it in under ten minutes.

She should hear Emma crying upstairs the moment she let herself into the loft. She nodded over to David, who was feeding Neal his bedtime bottle, and hurried up the stairs to aid Snow with her daughter.

Emma was sitting on the floor beside her bed, her knees to her chest and her head buried in her arms.

"She won't talk to me," Snow sighed, exasperated. "She said she has a tummy ache, and I tried to take her temperature again, and now she won't talk to me."

"It's not mosquito season," Regina commented, looking at Emma and tilting her head to the side.

"What? Regina what are you talking about?" Snow asked, utterly confused.

"Look," Regina pointed to the three pink dots on Emma's arm. "She's cranky, her tummy hurts, she's running a fever, and she's got spots. That generally only means one thing, and unfortunately for us, they didn't give chicken pox vaccines to kids in the 80s."

Emma glanced up, with a big pout on her face, as Regina stepped over and picked her up, sitting her down on the bed, and crouching in front of her.

"Can I look at your tummy, Little One?" she asked, and when Emma nodded, Regina lifted up her shirt to reveal dozens of little pink dots all over her abdomen. "Bingo."

"Tommy has chicky pox," Emma said, softly.

"Who's Tommy, sweetheart?" Regina asked, as she lowered Emma's shirt again.

"The boy at the house I went to yesterday."

Regina turned to look at Snow over her shoulder. "This isn't the first time that something physical in her dream had manifested here, too. I'm guessing Emma really had the chicken pox at five, and she probably caught them from this Tommy."

"So now what? We get her medicine?" Snow asked, sounding more worried than relieved.

"Don't you remember when you had the chicken pox?" Regina asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Snow. Snow shook her head. "It was just after… I became your step-mother. Maybe a month of two later, your father took you into the village and two days later you were covered in spots.

Snow nodded, slowly. "Yes, I think I remember now. Johanna took care of me."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course you would remember it that way. We both took care off you. Anyway, there's no medicine," Regina said, shaking her head. "She just has to ride it out. But, she is contagious. Has Neal been vaccinated?"

"No, that's a one-year vaccine," Snow explained.

Regina nodded. "Well, Henry's healthy, want to make a trade? I can take tomorrow off work, because she can't go to school."

"Are you sure, Regina?"

"Yes, dear. She was going to sleep over tomorrow anyway, we'll just do it a day early," Regina said, as she stood and picked Emma up in her arms. Emma wrapped her arms limply around Regina's neck, and laid her head down on her shoulder.

"How long does it last?" Snow asked, as they made their way down the stairs.

"Normally? A week or so. In Emma's case, all things considered… who knows?" Regina sighed.

Snow nodded, and explained the situation to David, who reluctantly agreed on the child swap as well.

* * *

"Why do I have to go?" Henry whined, once Regina had returned to the house with Emma. Snow had followed in her car, to get Henry, and she was making her way up to the house now.

"What, I thought you loved going to your grandparents?" Regina asked. Emma had her arms in a death grip around Regina's neck now, and was whimpering in her ear.

"I do, but I wanted to spend time with Emma when she slept over. I'm vaccinated, what's the problem?"

"Henry, she's not feeling well. She's not here to play. And I know you're vaccinated, but if you go back to the loft Snow and David can make you breakfast and take you to school in the morning," Regina explained. "There will be lots of time to play with Emma when she's better."

Henry begrudgingly agreed, and ran upstairs to pack an overnight bag, while Regina went to the kitchen to grab the Children's Tylenol for Emma's fever.

"Why do you have that?" Snow asked, as Regina set Emma down on the counter, and opened the package.

"Before we knew who she was, I kind of stocked up on everything, because…" Regina let her voice trail off as she measured out the pink bubblegum flavoured medicine.

"Because you were going to keep her," Snow acknowledged, suddenly feeling horrible for mentioning it at all.

"I mean, only if we never found her parents," Regina stammered, quickly, not wanting to let Snow see just how much she really did want to keep Emma, even after she found out who she was. She turned her attention back on the child, who had her lips pursed shut, tightly. She clearly knew what the liquid in the measuring spoon was. "Open your mouth Emma, you need to take this."

Emma shook her head quickly, and clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Emma, please, it will make you feel better," Regina said, calmly.

"No cough medicine!" Emma cried, removing her hand from her mouth and trying to physically push Regina away from her. "Don't want to go to sleep!"

Regina cringed, and Snow looked as confused as ever. At the moment, Regina thought it was best not to explain to Snow how some parents drug their children into sleeping with cough syrup.

"It's not cough medicine, baby. It's Tylenol, and it will help your fever," Regina explained.

Emma shook her head again.

"Don't you want to feel better?" Snow asked, coming up beside Regina, to face Emma.

"Not sick!" Emma said, crossing her arms for emphasis.

"I'll tell you what," Regina said, remembering how she used to have to make deals with Henry. She hated the word 'bribe', since it was always more of a negotiation with the boy. "If you take this, and let me give you a bath, then you can sleep in my bed tonight, and so can Kitty Softpaws."

Emma's eyes lit up, and Regina decided not to mention the fact that the cat had slept with her the last four nights, and she'd stopped even trying to kick her out of the bed on Tuesday. Emma opened her mouth and let Regina give her the medicine.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Emma shook her head again as Regina picked her back up, just as Henry came into the kitchen. Henry and Snow said their goodbyes, and Regina grabbed a package from her cupboard, and stepped over to the sliding door to let Kitty Softpaws back inside before taking Emma upstairs for the bath. Regina guessed Emma must _really_ not be feeling well, since she made no reaction to her cat coming back inside.

Regina took Emma into her en suite bathroom and started the water, after setting Emma on her feet on the floor.

"Bubble?" Emma asked, absently scratching at her tummy through her shirt, as the spots were beginning to itch.

Regina shook her head. "No bubbles with the chicken pox, my dear. We're going to put this in the water instead," she said, holding up the package she'd retrieved from the cupboard. "It's oatmeal. It's a little messy, but it will help the itchies."

Emma pouted, but didn't protest as she watched Regina pour to oatmeal under the running water. Regina then turned and helped Emma out of her clothes.

Emma looked down at her tummy, which now had more than double the amount of spots as it had when Regina had checked her at Snow's loft. Emma poked at a couple of the spots. "Are these my chicky pox?"

Regina smiled. "Yes, and it looks like you got it good. No school for you, tomorrow, you'll have to spend the day with me."

"That's okay," Emma said seriously, making Regina laugh.

"Come on, let's get you in the water. The warm water should bring out the rest of your spots, then we'll cover you up in calamine lotion," Regina explained, as she lifted Emma into the bath.

Emma scrunched up her nose. "What's cadaline lotion?"

"Calamine," Regina corrected. "It takes away itchies."

"Did you ever have chicky pox?" Emma asked, as Regina scrubbed her lightly with the oatmeal-water coated cloth.

"Yes, when I was very little. We had oatmeal baths, but no calamine lotion, so you're luckier than me," Regina winked. She didn't know how Snow could have possibly forgotten the itchy agony of chicken pox. She chalked it up to the woman's uncanny ability to only see the good and easily forget all the bad in her life.

She supposed it was a useful skill for her former step-daughter to possess, all things considered.

Regina let Emma play in the bathtub for a little longer, before grabbing the calamine lotion from the medicine cabinet, and lifting her from the tub, wrapping her in a warm towel. She put her hand on Emma's little forehead and smiled when she noted she seemed to be back to normal temperature.

Regina grabbed a cotton ball and started dabbing at the spots that littered Emma's entire torso, front and back, and her arms, legs and face. Emma giggled at the cold pink lotion at first, but soon grew impatient.

"Giiiiina!" she whined, trying to get away when Regina was about two thirds of the way through the spots.

"Stay still, sweetheart, I'm almost done. It will make you feel better," Regina promised.

"Sto-op! I feel better!" Emma whined, but she stopped fidgeting and let Regina finish.

"There, all done, baby. One hundred and sixty-seven spots. Impressive," she commented, as she poofed one of Emma's light cotton nightgowns from the child's bedroom into her hand.

Emma looked down at her little body, all covered in spots and dabs of pink lotion, and pouted again. "I don't like chicky pox," she said, sticking her bottom lip out as far as she could.

"No one likes chicken pox," Regina agreed, as she prompted Emma to life her arms so she could pull the nightgown over her head. "Unfortunately, it was a right of passage in your generation."

Regina remembered thinking that the chicken pox vaccine seemed like overkill when Henry got it, but now looking at poor Emma, she was glad Henry never had to go through it.

"Are you ready to snuggle up in bed with Kitty Softpaws?" Regina asked, holding out her hand for Emma to take. Emma nodded and took her hand, following her slowly into the bedroom. Regina could tell she was fading fast, a combination of the bath plus being sick, with Tylenol in the mix. She scooped her up and pulled back the covers, placing Emma in the middle of the bed. Regina pulled her phone from her pocket and placed it on her nightstand, and poofed herself into her own pajamas, before crawling in on her side.

Kitty Softpaws wasted no time curling up on the other side of Emma, but Emma wasn't interested in her cat at the moment. She, instead, crawled over to Regina and curled up against her, falling asleep almost instantly.

Regina grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Snow, assuring her all was well, before finally succumbing to sleep herself.

* * *

It was just past two when Regina woke up to the sound of Emma crying. She rolled over quickly and saw Emma sitting up, her arms wrapped around herself, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Regina asked, sitting up quickly. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Emma shook her head and stared at Regina with an odd look in her eyes.

"No? What's wrong then? Are you itchy?"

Emma shook her head again, and grabbed her tummy harder.

"You're tummy hurts?"

Emma nodded, and before she could get a word out, her face paled and Regina had only a split second warning before Emma evacuated the contents of her stomach all over the bed.

She cried harder as Regina scooped her up out of the mess - which was only partially effective since it was all over Emma's nightgown as well - and took her back into the bathroom.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay," Regina cooed into Emma's ear, as she started the water in the tub again.

Emma clung to her with a death grip, locking her arms around Regina's neck and her legs around her waist, as Regina added more oatmeal to the bath, knowing that Emma likely was itchy as well. "I'm sorry Gina! It was a-a accident! Don't be mad!"

"I'm not mad, baby. It's not your fault you're sick. I'll get you all cleaned up, don't worry," Regina assured her, rubbing her back as the tub filled up.

Regina set Emma down and peeled off her nightgown, before poofing herself into a clean set of pajamas and lifting Emma into the tub.

"More oatmeal?" Emma noted, looking at the bathwater. "When do I get bubbles?"

"When your spots go away," Regina assured her. "It won't be long."

"Do I hafta have more cadaline lotion?"

"Yes, baby," Regina sighed, as she washed away the dried up calamine lotion from earlier.

"What about your bed? I throwed up on it," Emma stated, as if Regina were unaware.

Regina flicked her wrist in the direction of the bed. "All gone, new sheets," she said with a wink.

To her surprise, Emma pouted.

"What's wrong baby?"

"Your magic does good things," Emma commented, and inwardly Regina had to smirk at how off-base that comment was, until the last couple years.

"You're magic does good things, too," Regina insisted. "You just need more practice controlling it."

Emma nodded as Regina lifted her back out of the tub and dried her off, before starting in with the calamine lotion again.

"How many spots did I say you had last time?" Regina asked, when she was done applying the lotion, wondering if Emma remembered the number

"A million," Emma shrugged.

Regina laughed. "Well, now you have one hundred and ninety-six," Regina informed her. "Grow four more and you'll have an even two hundred."

"I don't want more!" Emma protested.

"I know baby. Maybe by tomorrow you'll start having less," she said, as she poofed a clean nightgown for Emma into her hand and helped Emam into it. "Let's go back to sleep."

Emma nodded, and held on to Regina tight as she carried her back into the bedroom and put her back in the bed, where Kitty Softpaws was waiting, as though nothing at all had happened.

Emma curled up against Regina for the second time that night, and Regina hoped this time she would sleep through until morning.

* * *

**To answer everyone who has asked this question, I have made a decision: this story will eventually lead to Swan Queen, though that's quite a ways away.**

**And, yes, I am aware that having physical things from Emma's previous life translate in to her new life (like the chicken pox), means that I will eventually have to address the fact that at seventeen she's pregnant with Henry... and don't worry, I have a plan for that (no spoilers!)**

**Also! Emma and Regina owe Henry a prank, any suggestions?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This fic has reached 700 followers and I am in total disbelief. You all are so amazing and I seriously cannot thank you enough! And, as always, I have to thank Thequeenandherswan for telling me I need to write another Little Emma story, since I hadn't originally planned on writing this… it's now my most popular story all thanks to her!**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

When Regina woke up the next morning, she was greeting by a still-spotty Emma, sitting up in bed, with a distraught look on her face.

"Emma,what's wrong?" Regina asked, immediately reaching her hand out to feel Emma's forehead, guessing that perhaps her fever was back and she wasn't feeling well. To her surprise - and relief - Emma's skin was its normal temperature. Which meant something else was the matter.

Emma held up a closed fist, opening it slowly to reveal a tiny white baby tooth in her palm. "I dunno what happened!" she cried. "It just falled out!"

Regina let out a small laugh of relief, and shook her head. "Let me see," she said, pulling Emma's bottom lip down with her thumb, and revealing a little hole where one of her bottom teeth had been. "You're falling apart baby girl!" she joked, immediately realizing it was not well-received, as Emma looked back at her, horrified. "It's just a baby tooth, Emma. They're supposed to fall out. We'll put it under your pillow tonight and the tooth fairy will come and leave you money."

The moment the words left Regina's mouth, she realized what a huge mistake she had made.

"No fairy!" Emma screamed, throwing her tooth across the room. Regina heard it hit the edge of her dresser with a tiny _clink_ before Emma erupted into full-blown hysterics.

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, as she pulled the shaking child into her lap. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Little One. I wasn't thinking."

"Tell the fairy not to come!" Emma cried, her face as serious as Regina had ever seen it.

"I will," Regina promised. "I'll tell them to send the tooth kitty instead."

Emma paused for a moment, her expression turning quizzical as the tears halted. "What's a tooth kitty?"

"She's a special kitty who comes to special little girls to bring them money when they lose teeth. Do you want the tooth kitty to come instead?" Regina asked. She wondered if the tooth fairy was something Emma had ever gotten to experience as a child. She guessed probably not, and she wanted to be able to give her that memory… even if it was a cat and not a fairy who left money for Emma.

Emma seemed to ponder that for a moment, before deciding. "She can come as long as she is nice to Kitty Softpaws. I don't want money if it means Kitty is sad."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Emma. And I will make sure she knows to be nice to Kitty Softpaws," Regina assured her. "How are your itchies today?"

"Scratchy," Emma replied, scratching at her arm.

"Don't scratch, honey," Regina insisted, putting a hand on top of Emma's to stop her. "Let's take a picture of your smile to show Mommy, shall we?"

Emma nodded and Regina grabbed her phone. She took her head at the sight of poor Emma, face covered in spots and dried calamine lotion, and a missing tooth grin. At least she looked happier than she had yesterday, and Regina guessed she was feeling better, aside from the itches.

She texted the picture to Snow, along with a short message that Emma seemed to be feeling better, and got up to retrieve the discarded tooth from its resting spot on the carpet. She supposed she should save it for Snow, since things like Emma's first lost tooth were things the woman hadn't gotten to experience the first time around. It occurred to her that they might even be able to make a little scrapbook of Emma's milestones for her.

"Can I go play in my room now?" Emma asked, excitedly. She had been telling Regina all week how anxious she was to play with her toys in her pink bedroom, and Regina supposed now was a good a time as any, since she still had some paperwork in her home office to get done.

"Yes, baby. I'll be downstairs in my office if you need me, okay?"

Emma nodded, and jumped up to scoop up the still sleeping cat beside her, before running off to her bedroom. She opened the door and grinned as she looked around. It had been less than a week since she'd been there, but a week was a long time, and combined with months of returned memories from her first childhood, it felt like an eternity since she'd seen this room or any of these toys.

Emma quickly shut the door, to prevent Kitty Softpaws from being able to escape. She didn't seem to want to anyway, as she rubbed up against Emma's legs as she walked.

"I'm going to get dressed," Emma informed the cat. "Do you want to dress up?"

Emma took the cats lack of response as a 'yes', and after she'd put on a pair of purple plaid pants with a pink and yellow striped shirt, she dove into her doll wardrobe to find something appropriate for the cat to wear.

"I think we will have a tea party," she said, as she pulled a pink frilly dress out of the little doll wardrobe. The cat attempted to run away, but one firm "Stay!" from Emma, combined with a wave of her hand, and the cat was frozen in place.

"You're getting so fat!" Emma exclaimed, as she fastened the buttons of the dress around the cat's middle. "I'm going to tell Gina to feed you less!"

Once the cat was dressed, Emma set off to find more guests for her tea party. Spiderman and Barbie were still on her bed where she'd left them last, and soon they both donned pretty dresses as well.

"Now I need a dress!" Emma said, realizing she was far under dressed for her guests. She went back to her dresser, pulling out item after item until she found a red skirt, which she put on over her pants.

She grabbed her tea set off of one of her shelves, knocking down several toys in the process, and set up the dishes and cups on the floor, putting Barbie and Spiderman in their spots.

"Kitty Softpaws, you sit here," Emma instructed, pointing to the empty place. A little touch of magic, and the cat was drawn to her spot, sitting down like a little lady. "Now what to drink?"

Emma waved her hands and instantly all the cups were filled with apple juice, and the plates held an array of cookies. Emma giggled at her magical handiwork, thinking of how proud Regina would be to see how good she was getting.

Emma chattered on and on to herself, growing bored quickly, since none of her toys or the cat could actually talk back. She sat and peered at Kitty Softpaws, wondering if there was a way to give her a voice with magic. She was about to try, when the door opened.

"Oh my goodness," Regina gasped, looking around at the disaster that Emma's bedroom had become. "How did you make such a big mess in such a short time?"

Emma shrugged. "Kitty helped," she said.

"Oh, did she now?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't really want to let Emma get away with lying - especially since the Charmings still blamed her for Emma's behaviour - but she couldn't bring herself to scold Emma when she was sick. That was something Cora would have done, and Regina was not about to go down _that_ road.

"You're making Kitty get fat," Emma accused. "You feed her too much!"

Regina frowned. "I do not feed her too much. She's just gotten lazy since she doesn't have to hunt her food anymore. She spends all her time laying around sleeping, no wonder she's getting fat."

Emma glanced at the cat and then back at Regina. "You called her fat. That hurts her feelings. Say sorry."

"You called her fat first!" Regina cried, momentarily forgetting she was speaking to a five-year-old.

"You hurt her feelings," Emma insisted.

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Kitty Softpaws. You're not fat, you're just fluffy."

Emma grinned. "That's better! When does Henry come home from school? I want him to have a tea party because my guests can't talk!"

"In a few hours. Maybe when Henry gets home, all of us can have a tea party together," Regina offered. Emma grinned and nodded, and Regina got an idea. "Emma, you want to get Henry back today?"

Emma's grin widened, and she nodded again.

"Okay, we're going to call it Operation Mrs. Nesbitt," Regina laughed. "Let me explain…"

* * *

After lunch, and a fresh coating of calamine lotion for the itchy girl, Regina and Emma snuggled up on the couch to watch _Toy Story_, since Regina's 'Mrs. Nesbitt' reference had been totally lost on the child.

Emma fell asleep before the movie was over, and Regina let her nap curled up against her. Moments like this were what she missed most when Emma was at the Charmings. She stroked Emma's hair and watched the cat - who had somehow managed to free herself from her party dress - saunter across the room.

Emma was right. The cat _was_ getting fat. Only around her middle. Regina cringed, having a feeling it had nothing to do with too much food or not enough exercise, and _everything _to do with an unfixed female cat that roamed around outside at her leisure.

"Wonderful," she muttered to herself, already anticipation the battle it would be to convince Emma they needed to give the kittens away. Knowing her, she'd want to keep each and every one of them. And she'd probably invite them all to sleep in Regina's bed.

Or, perhaps Regina could ship them all off to the Charmings' loft? Having their child should mean having their child's animal sanctuary, shouldn't it?

She supposed now was not the time to think about that. She'd have to call the vet tomorrow and have her suspicions confirmed before she took any drastic measures.

As if on cue, the cat jumped up and curled up the couch beside Regina. "You're a nuisance, you know that?" Regina said, rolling her eyes at the cat. "I never wanted you, and I will not be keeping your babies, either."

The cat responded by rubbing up against Regina's thigh, and she couldn't resist giving her a little scratch behind her ear.

* * *

Like clockwork, Emma woke up the moment Henry returned from school.

"Guess what?" Henry called, as he entered the house and quickly found Regina and Emma in the living room, "I asked Grandma and she said Emma can sleep over here again tonight, since last night didn't count, if that's okay with you, mom?"

"Please, Gina?" Emma grinned, scrambling up quickly. "Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Regina laughed. "Of course it's okay. I'll call Snow. Henry, why don't you go with Emma up to her room? She wants to play with you."

"Yeah, Henry! I missed you!" Emma nodded in agreement. "And look!" she grinned widely, pointing at her missing tooth. "The tooth kitty is coming tonight!"

"Tooth kitty?" Henry repeated, shooting Regina a questioning look.

"Yes, Henry, the tooth _kitty_ is coming tonight," she confirmed, giving him a cautioning look back. It only took a moment for Henry to remember that Emma was terrified of fairies. Tooth Kitty made sense.

"Come on, Henry! Let's play!" Emma cried, as she jumped up and grabbed his hand, dragging him toward the stairs.

Regina called Snow to confirm that Emma would stay the night again, and waited about twenty minutes before going upstairs to check on Emma and Henry and Operation Mrs. Nesbitt.

She tiptoed toward Emma's door, and pushed it open quietly, her phone in hand, and before Henry could even register what was happening, she snapped a picture.

Henry gaped at her for a moment, dressed in a frilly pink apron with heart shaped pockets, and a blue sunhat with a daisy. Regina had used her magic to reproduce Mrs. Nesbitt's outfit perfectly, and Emma had added her own magical touch with the addition of a purple feather boa around Henry's neck.

"I like the boa," Regina commented with a grin.

"He needed to look 'ophisticated," Emma replied, matter-of-factly.

"Mom! You did _not_ just take a picture!" Henry whined, realizing just what was happening.

"I think I might have… and I might have already texted it to your grandparents. Oops!"

"_Mo-om!_"

Emma giggled just as the doorbell rang downstairs.

"Oh!" Emma cried, "those must be our guests!"

Henry's face went white. "Who did you invite?"

"Oh, just Nick and Ava. That's not a problem, is it?" Regina asked, innocently.

Emma laughed hysterically as Henry jumped up and ripped off his tea party attire in record time. Regina headed downstairs to let Nick and Ava in.

"Sorry, guys, I think you missed the show," she said, winking at the kids. She'd called their father to tell him the plan, and he'd gladly agreed to send his twins over to have a little fun with Henry. "But don't worry, I got photo evidence for blackmail purposes."

Regina led the kids upstairs to where Emma still sat in her tea party dress, and Henry stood, red-faced and mortified.

"What's wrong, Henry?" Nick grinned. "You're not dressed for the party!"

Emma's eyes lit up as she watched Nick reach for the apron and put it on.

"Mind if I be Mrs. Nesbitt, Emma?" Nick asked

"You can have Henry's spot because Henry is being a rude guest!" Emma declared.

"You're not seriously doing this, are you?" Henry asked, looking at his friend in disbelief.

Nick shrugged. "What? I have a sister too, you know. Plus, it's fun."

Ava turned to Regina, excitedly. "Do you have more dress up clothes, Mrs. Mills?"

Regina smiled and waved her hand, producing a pile of dress up clothes, that Ava ran to, excitedly. She watched, and thought back to the time in the Enchanted Forest when she'd tried to steal Hansel and Gretel away from their father. Who would have thought there'd come a day when the twins would be in her home, willingly?

She supposed a lot had changed since then, but still, when it had occurred to her to invite Henry's friends over, she hadn't expected it to be this emotional for her. Lucky for her, none of the kids seemed to notice.

"Gina, are you gonna dress up?"

Emma's voice pulled Regina out of her thoughts, and back to the present. She looked at the kids, all dress up now. Even Henry had caved and put on a purple hat and some costume jewellery.

"Of course," Regina smiled, and stepped over to the pile of clothes, quickly donning a large floppy yellow hat and a red shawl. "Does this meet the hostess's approval?" she asked Emma with a wink. Emma grinned and nodded emphatically.

And so, the former Evil Queen sat and played tea party with her son, Hansel and Gretel, and the re-incarnated Savior, marvelling at the fact that - as always - it was Emma who brought them all together.

* * *

After an evening of playing, another oatmeal bath, and another coating of calamine lotion, it was finally bedtime for Emma. Regina sat on the edge of her bed in her pretty pink bedroom, tucking Emma, the cat, Spiderman and Barbie under the duvet, and giving each of them - including the damn cat - a kiss on the forehead, at Emma's insistence.

Regina held up a little pink satchel. "I put your tooth in here," she informed Emma, handing her the little pouch, "tuck it under your pillow, and the tooth kitty will come get it tonight, and leave you money."

Emma smiled and tucked it away safely, before laying her head back down on her pillow, and looking up at Regina with wide, serious eyes. "Thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick, Gina."

"Of course, baby. I'll always take care of you, you know that," Regina reminded her, as she stroked her blond curls.

"I'm gonna be six soon. Will you still love me when I'm six?" Emma asked.

"Of course I will."

"What about when I'm seven?" Emma asked, her voice full of worry.

"Emma, why are you worried about this?" Regina asked.

"Because the boy in the home I went to in my dream said no one wants older kids. He said when I turn six I'm 'shit outta luck' and I'll never have a family," Emma explained, her lip quivering.

"That boy is wrong, Emma. You already have a family: Mommy, Daddy, Henry, Neal and me, and none of us are going anywhere. And we will all love you, no matter how old you are," Regina assured her.

"Even when I'm eight?"

"Yes, Emma. I will love you when you're eight, when you're eighteen and even when you're eighty," Regina vowed, making Emma giggle.

"When I'm eighty you'll be dead," Emma informed her.

"Well, that's morbid," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "The point is, no one's going to stop loving you, no matter what anyone tells you. I promise you that."

"I'll love you till you're a hundred!" Emma grinned.

"What about when I'm one hundred and one?"

"Yep! Even still then! I will love you forever!" Emma vowed.

"I will love you forever, too," Regina said, kissing Emma on the forehead again. "Now, sleep Little One. We have a whole day to play tomorrow."

As Regina left the room, it sank in that she had just promised Emma to love her forever, knowing that within two years, Emma would be back to her fully grown adult self.

And yet, the promise didn't seem strange. After everything that had happened in the past two months, Regina really couldn't imagine a time that she _wouldn't _love Emma now.

And she was okay with that.

* * *

**This chapter was a little shorter than I had hoped, but it's been a busy week and I ran out of time, so I will try for an extra long chapter next week... I hope I'm not making a promise I can't keep... but hey, at least I'm keeping to the weekly updates on this one, right?**

**For all those who have asked if the second childhood will change Emma's personality when she's back to normal, the answer is… yes and no. Emma will still retain all her memories from the first time around, which shape her personality, combined with a handful of new memories as well… so she will grow up feeling loved and safe, this time. So Emma will be Emma, but without the trust issues and insecurity.**

**I love Emma and I wouldn't want to change her too much, overall :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**For all those who have asked if the second childhood will change Emma's personality when she's back to normal, the answer is… yes and no. Emma will still retain all her memories from the first time around, which shape her personality, combined with a handful of new memories as well… so she will grow up feeling loved and safe, this time. So Emma will be Emma, but without the trust issues and insecurity.**

**I love Emma and I wouldn't want to change her too much, overall :)**

**Also, I apologize for the great delay in posting this chapter. I've experience some writer's block recently, but I'm back on the ball now :) Did you miss me?! lol**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Emma was up at the crack of dawn, rooting under her pillow to see if the tooth kitty had come after all. She'd meant to try to stay awake to actually _see_ the kitty, but that hadn't gone as planned. To her great delight, however, where her tooth had once been, she found a five dollar bill.

Emma jumped out of bed, money gripped tightly in her fist, and bolted into Regina's room, jumping onto her bed, and practically on top of her.

"Gina! Gina! Wake up! The tooth kitty comed!" Emma squealed, bouncing on Regina a few times for emphasis. "Giiiiinaaaa!"

Regina groaned and reached a hand up to lightly cover Emma's mouth. "Shhh baby girl… it's too early for shouting."

Emma swatted Regina's hand away and held the money right in front of her eyes. "Look Gina! A hundred dollars!"

"Five dollars," Regina corrected, shaking her head. "Five dollars because you're five years old."

Emma held the bill up in front of her own eyes, examining it carefully with a pout on her face.

"What's wrong, Emma?"

"I need six dollars because I'm six!" Emma declared.

Regina sighed. Emma did look like she'd grown a little, and her spots were completely gone. "Did you have a birthday in your dream last night?"

Emma nodded. "I had to share it with a boy in the house, but we had a cake and I got a present. It was a Cabbage Patch doll like one TV, but now it's gone," Emma shrugged. "But that's okay because one of the little kids put marker on her face already."

Regina smiled and shifted Emma onto her lap so she could sit up. "Well, lucky for you you have lots of toys here and no one will draw on them," Regina replied, as she ran her fingers through Emma's hair. "Your hair's getting so long, baby. When was the last time you had a haircut?"

Emma shrugged. "Dunno."

"Well, I think we should get you one today," Regina said, decisively. "Then maybe we can go to the store and see if there's something you'd like to get with your money?"

Emma grinned and nodded.

"Alright, baby, let me just call Mommy and make sure she's okay with this."

* * *

By 10am, Emma had eaten breakfast and Regina had gotten Snow's permission to get her hair trimmed, as long as it was just a little, and Regina promised to take lots of pictures. Snow had wanted to come herself, but baby Neal was teething and was in rare form that morning. Regina could hear him wailing through the phone when she spoke to Snow, and almost felt bad for the woman, remembering how much Henry had screamed when he'd been teething.

"Alright, it's your turn, Emma," Regina said, as the stylist - Michelle - came to call on Emma.

Emma's eyes widened as she stepped around the receptionist's desk, deathgrip on Regina's hand, and realized where she was. "No! I changed my mind!" she cried.

"Emma," Michelle said, crouching down in front of the girl before Regina even had a chance to try to intervene, "if you can be a good girl and climb up in this chair and get your hair cut, I can give you a prize when you're done. Do you think you can do that?"

Emma crossed her arms defiantly and shook her head. "No. I want the prize now!" she said, stomping her little foot.

Regina let out an exasperated sigh. Apparently the petulant little girl she'd had a preview of when Emma was four, was making a comeback. "Emma," Regina said, firmly, "the prize is a reward for good behaviour. You don't get it unless you get your hair cut."

"That's not fair! You didn't get me anything for my birthday! I want a prize now!"

"Can you give us a minute?" Regina asked Michelle, and the woman just nodded and told Regina to take her time. Regina took Emma by the hand and led her back out into the waiting area, which was thankfully nearly empty at this point.

"Emma," Regina said, crouching down so she was at eye level with the little girl. "I don't like this behaviour you are displaying. I wasn't there when you had your birthday, but I have given you lots and lots of things. You get a prize when you get your hair cut, and that is the way it works. Now, is there some reason why you don't want to get your hair cut?"

Emma's pout deepened for a moment as her bottom lip began to quiver. "Because I wasn't bad!" Emma cried, finally.

"Sweetheart, this isn't a punishment. Everyone gets their hair cut. It's part of life. If we don't cut it, it gets ratty ends, and tangles. You don't want that, do you?"

Emma shook her head no, curls bouncing wildly as she did so.

"Okay. So who told you bad girls get hair cuts?"

"When I was five, an older girl used to go out her bedroom window at night. The Mommy got mad and said she was bad, and she cut off her ponytail so she wouldn't be pretty anymore. She said the boys wouldn't like her then. Then we had to go to a place like this to get her hair fixed and she cried and cried. She was so sad."

Regina sighed. "Emma, that's not what's happening right now. Michelle's just going to take off a little bit, so your hair will look even prettier. Don't you want that?"

Emma thought on that for a moment, before slowly nodding.

"Alright. Now let's go back and apologize to Michelle, and then you can get your hair cut, and get a prize, okay? But you have to be a good girl for the rest of your hair cut to get the prize, understand?"

Emma nodded again, and took Regina's hand as they headed back to Michelle's station.

"Sorry I was bad," Emma said, looking down at her feet when she spoke.

"You're forgiven, Emma," Michelle said, with a smile. "Hair cuts can be scary sometimes, but it will be over before you know it."

And, as it turned out, Michelle was right. After a minute of initial silence, Emma began to rattle on about Kitty Softpaws and the impending litter of kittens, and went so far as to offer Michelle the second best one when they arrive, as she planned on keeping the very best one for herself.

"Emma, I did not agree to keeping any kittens, and we don't even know if Kitty is pregnant."

"She's fatter today than she was yesterday!" Emma insisted, "and her belly squirms around because there's babies in it!"

Regina had to admit that Emma had a point. The cat was fatter, and she's notice her belly wiggling about quite a bit. She wondered how long she could really stay in denial that that cat was pregnant, and was likely to have her kittens somewhere in her home. Regina guessed, with her luck, it would be in her bedroom closet.

"Still, I didn't agree to keeping any kittens. Maybe you should ask your Mommy and Daddy about having one there," Regina suggested.

"No, Kitty wants to keep the best one," Emma explained. "And she wants the next best one to be for Michelle and the third best one to be for Mommy. If there's four, Daddy can have one, too, but Kitty thinks there's three."

"She does, does she?" Regina asked, smirking. "Well I guess we'll have to wait and see."

* * *

Waiting and seeing didn't take as long as Regina had expected. Once Emma's hair cut was complete, Michelle had given Regina a small baggie with a lock of Emma's hair for the scrapbook she planned on making, and let Emma pick a toy from the prize bin. Since there was no cats in the bin, Emma picked a racecar and then decided she'd rather save her money than spend it. Regina took her to the store anyway and bought her a porcelain piggy bank in the shape of a grey and white cat, to make up for the lack of birthday present for Emma's sixth birthday, and Emma had happily tucked her money inside.

"Gina, where's kitty?" Emma asked, pointing to the cat bed once she'd placed the kitty bank safely on one of her shelves. "She was sleeping here when we left and I can't find her anywhere."

"She's around. How about you look for her while I get lunch ready?"

Emma nodded as Regina left the room, and set about on her mission. She got on her hands and knees and looked under all the furniture in her own room, only to come up empty handed. She headed down to check Henry's room, where she found him on his bed, reading.

"Henry, where's Kitty?" Emma asked.

"Dunno," Henry said with a small shrug. "Haven't seen her all morning. Maybe she's taking a nap in my mom's room?"

Emma nodded and headed back down the hall to Regina's room. She dropped to her hands and knees again, peering under Regina's bed and dresser, but found nothing. She sat up, and her little ears picked up a small mewling sound from the other side of the room.

"Kitty?" she asked, aloud, as she crawled in the direction of the sound. Regina's closet door was cracked open, and Emma pulled it open slowing, before screaming, "Gina!"

Regina heard Emma from downstairs, and immediately dropped what she was doing in the kitchen to come running.

"Emma?" she asked, frantically, as she spotted the girl kneeling on the floor in front of her closet door. "What's wrong?"

"Look!" Emma cried, pointing into Regina's closet. Regina stepped over, and sure enough, there was Kitty Softpaws, curled up on the floor, cozying up with three tiny kittens. "I told you! Three!"

Regina sighed, and dropped to her knees beside Emma. "I _knew_ it was going to be in my closet," she said, shaking her head. Even though she would have to have the carpet professionally cleaned, she was sure, she couldn't help but admit the kittens were cute. One was mostly white, with black and orange spots, one was completely orange and one looked like a miniature version of Kitty Softpaws herself, mostly grey with white.

"That's the best one," Emma said, decisively, pointing out the orange one. "I'm gonna name him Puss in Boots, because he looks like Puss in Boots."

"Your creativity never ceases to astound me," Regina smirked. "Why don't we just call him Antonio Banderas?"

"Because that's dumb," Emma declared. "This one looks like Kitty Softpaws. I'm going to name it Kitty Softpaws Two, and it can live with Mommy so I have a Kitty Softpaws everywhere I live."

Regina smiled and shook her head, knowing that they would have to have an actual conversation about where these kittens would be going, but she had no desire to upset Emma right now.

"And the other one is named Emma, and it can live with Michelle so she can have her own Emma."

"That's very sweet," said Regina, "everyone deserve to have their own Emma."

Emma smiled and nodded her agreement. "Right, but don't tell Michelle you got the best Emma."

Regina laughed and pulled Emma up into her lap in a tight hug. "I certainly did get the very best Emma."

Emma's smile faded as she hugged Regina back. "Gina, I'm sorry I was a bad girl today. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"I wasn't mad, Emma," Regina assured her, stroking her hair, "and you weren't a bad girl. You're never a bad girl, Emma. You're a good girl who sometimes makes some bad decisions. But I was proud of you for apologizing to Michelle today, and I'm proud of you for apologizing to me without being told to."

"Sometimes I just don't know what a good decision is," Emma admitted.

"I know, Sweetheart. And that's not entirely your fault. You haven't had any consistency in your life, and it's hard to know right from wrong when your environment changes as much as yours does. But remember, baby, if you're not sure what to do, you can always ask me, or Mommy or Daddy."

"Or Henry?"

Regina let out a small laugh. "I'm not sure Henry's always the best judge of these things, especially not when we're in the middle of a prank war."

"And we have to get you back," Emma pointed out.

"_You_ are supposed to be on _my_ side, remember?" Regina reminded her, not that she expected it to do much good. Emma liked playing double agent a little too much.

"Can't I be on your side and Henry's side?"

"Yes, of course you can," Regina agreed, giving Emma another squeeze. "But I wouldn't be opposed to you giving me a heads up as to what Henry comes up with next."

"Gina," Emma said, sternly, "that's cheating. That's a bad decision."

* * *

After lunch, and being repeatedly told that the kittens were _still_ too young to be picked up, and _no_ five minutes older was not old enough, Emma gave up and decided to go see what Henry was doing.

She found him in his room again, scribbling something in a journal. Emma jumped on his bed without warning, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Henry! What are you writing?" Emma asked, peering over his shoulder as he lay on his stomach, even though she couldn't read.

Henry grinned. "It's called _The Misadventures of Little Emma Swan_," he declared.

"I'm Emma Swan," Emma pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, this story is about you. It's all the adventures you have as a kid, so that when you grow up you can read it and remember your childhood."

"Can you read it to me now?" Emma asked, excitedly. Henry grinned and flipped back to the beginning of the journal, reading Emma her story from the beginning - well the beginning he knew - from the moment he found her in the woods, up until the tea party prank from yesterday. He had even tucked the pictures she had drawn of her life with the fairies into the journal as reference.

"I could draw you more pictures," Emma offered, "so there's pictures to go with every story."

"That's an excellent idea, Emma."

"You like writing?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. I think I want to be an author one day," Henry said, proudly, not wanting to get into a long winded explanation about how the storybook and author's worked just yet, knowing it would go right over Emma's head.

"Can you write a different story for me?"

"What story?"

"A story about Gina, so I know what she does when I'm not here, and I miss her," Emma said.

Henry nodded as an idea came to him. He knew fairly well that his mother didn't do anything all that interesting when Emma wasn't around - at least nothing that would interest a six-year-old - but that didn't mean he couldn't _make_ her life seems more interesting to Emma.

He got up and grabbed an empty notebook from his desk, and came back to the bed, opening it to the first page and writing a title.

"What does it say?" Emma asked, excitedly.

"This book is called, _The Adventures of Regina Mills and Kitty Softpaws_," Henry declared.

Emma grinned. "I love it! Read it to me now!"

"I haven't started writing it yet! Patience is a virtue, Emma. I will read it to you next time you come over," he promised.

* * *

**When I jokingly said I would write a fic about the adventures of Regina Mills and Kitty Softpaws, a lot of people said "do it", so I decided a mini-fic within a fic was the way to go! lol**

**Thank you to everyone who patiently waited during my little hiatus for this. This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I'm going away for the weekend and leaving today, and I didn't want to make you wait another four days for it, so I'm posting now… next week's will be longer!**

**And, for anyone who has tumblr, feel free to hit me up: rowark-sq**

**I try to keep people updated on the status of my fics on there, especially when I need to take a break or I am going away or something. Also, my ask box is always open for anything, including prompts, or suggestions on current stories :)**

**Until next week!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm trying really hard to update this one once a week, but life is getting busier… this might have to be once every two weeks for a while, but I really am trying my best.**

**Also, warning for some foster home unpleasantness. No graphic detail or anything, but Emma remembers a nasty foster parent in this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

"_The Adventures of Regina Mills and Kitty Soft Paws: Chapter One….Once upon a time, there lived a woman-"_

"Henry, you can't start it like that! This isn't a fairy tale!"

"Ugh, Emma, just listen, please!"

"_Once upon a time there lived a woman named Regina. But she wasn't just an ordinary woman. By day, she appeared to be nothing more than the Mayor of a small town called Storybrooke, but by night, she was-"_

"Henry! I didn't want this to be a superhero story!" Emma whined.

"What do you want then, Emma? Because, seriously, if I write what _really_ happens when you're gone, this will be the story: Regina fed Kitty Soft Paws and let her out. Later she came back in and then fell asleep on the couch. The next day was the same. And the next day. And the next day."

Emma pouted and pushed Henry's journal off the bed, crossing her arms defiantly. "Write a better story!"

"Emma!" Henry sighed, exasperated. He hadn't meant to write _anything_ that evening, but Emma had been bugging him non-stop to write this story since the idea had popped into her head, and he had really tried to think of something that would interest her. He had thought her love of Spiderman would mean she would enjoy a superhero story.

Apparently he was wrong.

"You don't just get to throw my stuff around," Henry scolded, reaching down off the bed to pick his journal back up. "And I'm not going to write you this story if you can't be nice to me."

"Emma, honey, it's time to get ready to go, Mommy and Daddy are on their way," Regina said, as she entered the room, and took in the scene in front of her: Henry scowling at Emma, and Emma scowling right back. "What's going on in here?"

"Emma wants me to write her a story, and she bugged me to write it _right now_, and then when I tried to read it to her, she's just complaining and throwing my book," Henry explained, holding up his journal as proof.

"He was supposed to write a good story but he's writing a dumb one!" Emma declared.

"Emma, that's not very nice," Regina informed her. "Henry doesn't have to write stories for you, and it's not fair to act like that when he does. I think you owe him and apology."

"No!" Emma cried, scowling harder, and crossing her arms tighter, as if that would prove her point.

"Emma, I don't appreciate this attitude from you. Remember what I said about good decisions and bad decisions?" Regina asked, trying to keep her cool.

"No," Emma lied.

"I think you do."

"I think I _don't!_" Emma insisted, jumping off the bed and stomping her foot.

"Emma, what on earth has gotten into you?" Regina asked, just as she heard the doorbell. She sighed again, hoping that she wasn't about to be blamed for Emma's newfound bad attitude when she sent her home tonight.

"Come along, Emma, your parents are here," Regina said, holding out her hand for Emma to take. Emma made a distinct point of walking as far around Regina as she could, to avoid taking her hand, before stomping her way down the hall and down the stairs.

"Mom, what's her problem?" Henry asked, staring up at Regina incredulously.

"I have no idea," Regina replied, shaking her head. "Apparently six was a sassy year for Emma."

Regina turned and headed after Emma. By the time she was downstairs, Emma had already let her parents in, but was fighting Snow tooth and nail about the prospect of putting her shoes on.

"No!" Emma cried, picking up one shoe and deliberately throwing it across the room. Regina stopped it with her magic before it hit the vase on a nearby table, and turned to look at Emma, who stared back at her in shock.

"You want to rethink _that_ decision, Emma?" Regina asked, sending the shoe back to its mate on the floor in front of Emma.

"What's gotten into her, Regina?" Snow asked, stepping over to Regina while David took over the task of convincing Emma to put her shoes on.

Regina threw her hands up, like in defeat. "No idea. She was fine this morning, then had a little meltdown at the hairdressers, then fine this afternoon, and she was spending time with Henry, and now this."

"What do I do?"

Regina looked at Snow, realizing the woman really didn't know what to do. Emma had had a few meltdowns already, but those were mostly tears and tantrums, not blatant displays of defiance.

"Take her home and talk to her. Something is bothering her, and she's acting out. I thought we had sorted it out this afternoon, but apparently not."

Snow nodded, and glanced back at Emma who had finally relented and put her shoes on, but was glaring at her mother still.

"Can you say goodbye to Regina, please, Emma?" Snow asked, smiling hopefully at her daughter.

"No."

"My, my, Emma, is that the only word in your vocabulary tonight?" Regina asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. If there was never a time she forgot this little girl was actually Emma Swan, these looks of pure defiance were certainly a memory-jogger.

Emma turned on her heel without a word, stomping past her father and out the door.

"Good luck," Regina said, shooting Snow a sympathetic smile. "Do let me know if you find out the cause of this behaviour, because I am starting to suspect that six wasn't a great year for Emma."

"I will," Snow promised, as she turned to follow her husband and daughter out the door.

* * *

Regina headed back up to Henry's room once the Charmings had left, and found him still on his bed, looking sadly at the journal in front of him.

"Don't take it personally, Henry," Regina said, coming to sit beside him. "Something is clearly bothering Emma and she's taking it out on all of us because she doesn't know how to deal with it appropriately."

"Yeah," Henry agreed, half-heartedly, as he flipped to a blank page in his journal. "It's not really her fault, I guess. I'll write her a new story, without superheroes."

"Superheroes?"

"She wants a story about you and the cat. I made you a superhero, and she didn't like it. I thought… well, I mean, she kind of sees you that way, so I thought she'd like it."

Regina nodded, thoughtfully. "Try making Emma the superhero," she suggested. "Most of the people in her past made her feel insignificant, and we're trying to reverse that, right?"

Henry smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'm going to start over now. Thanks mom."

* * *

By the time 10pm hit, and Regina hadn't heard anything from Snow, she guessed that either they hadn't gotten anything out of Emma, or they had just forgotten to fill her in. Either way, she supposed there wasn't much else she could do tonight, and headed to bed.

Three hours later, she was awoken by a little fingers poking her in the face.

"Ugh," Regina groaned, reaching up to block the assault, as she cracked one eye open. Sure enough, there was Emma, sitting on the bed in her pajamas, looking as pale as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Emma?"

"I can't sleep," Emma whispered, her bottom lip quivering as she spoke.

"Come here, baby," Regina said, sitting up and pulling Emma onto her lap, hugging her close. "You know you're not supposed to poof here, right? Why didn't you go get Mommy when you couldn't sleep?"

"I didn't want Mommy, I wanted you!" Emma insisted. "I forgot to come and say goodnight!"

Regina sighed and nodded. This was the first night Emma had forgotten to poof here and say goodnight. Regina had guessed it was because Snow and David were trying to talk to her about what was going on, so she hadn't bothered checking in.

"I need to let Mommy know where you are," Regina said, picking up her phone to call Snow. Snow answered, half-asleep, and was very agreeable in her groggy state to letting Emma spend the night again.

Emma curled into Regina, reaching up with one finger to stroke her swan necklace that still hung around Regina's neck.

"Can you tell me what's gotten into you today, Little One?" Regina asked softly.

"I don't want to go away when I sleep anymore," Emma whispered. "It's scary 'cause I never know where I will be or when I will come back."

"I bet that is scary," Regina agreed. Truthfully, she couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible that would be, and Emma was so young to have to go through this. She knew her enchanted necklace could only help to a point - it could only remind her that she had a loving home to return to, but it didn't stop anything that happened to her in her memories, and it didn't give her any indication of _when_ she would be coming home.

"Can't you fix it? With magic?" Emma asked, hopefully.

Regina sighed. "I don't know, baby. I can try but… I might need help," Regina admitted. She'd poured through magic books, but there was no precedent for what Emma was experiencing, and Regina wasn't about to try to get creative and experiment on the little girl.

"You have to talk to the fairies," Emma concluded on her own. "They are the only ones who know about this."

"You're right. But I won't make you go see them unless I have to."

"It's okay. They aren't as scary as I thought," Emma said with a shrug. "They're not as scary as people in my dreams."

Regina cringed. "What happened in your dream, Emma?"

Emma shrugged again. "Sometimes foster parents are mean," she said, yawning.

"You know you can tell me if something bad happens in your dreams, right?"

Emma nodded absently, clutching onto her swan necklace around Regina's neck as she drifted to sleep.

Regina sat with her, stroking her hair and wracking her brain for anything else she could possibly do to avoid having to go see the fairies. Emma might not be afraid of them anymore, but Regina still didn't trust Blue. Her eyelids became heavy as she thought on it, and soon she was drifting off as well.

_Regina opened her eyes and looked around an unfamiliar room. It looked like a child's bedroom - or rather, children's bedroom, as there were three sets of bunkbeds - but she had no clue where she was, or how she got there. She guessed she must be dreaming._

_She glanced around the room, and almost immediately noted crayon lettering on the wall next to a bed: EMMA. _

"_Oh, my God, I'm in Emma's dream," she whispered to herself, ducking back against the wall as a couple of boys raced down the hallway passed the room she was in. She supposed hiding was a bit redundant, since this was a memory, and those boys weren't really there. _

_She stepped away from the wall and headed into the hallway, looking around. There were three girls heading down the hallway, and none of them seemed to notice her. Regina guessed that meant they couldn't see her. How could they have? Those girls walked down that hallway twenty-some-odd years ago, she reminded herself._

_She kept going down the hall, and down the stairs, looking for Emma, hoping that she would be able to see her. She had no idea how she'd gotten into Emma's memory, but she was here now, and she couldn't worry about the how later._

_She heard a distinct crying from another room, and made her way towards the sound. It was muffled, but she knew in her heart it was Emma. She quickened her pace, wondering if Emma had pulled her into her dream somehow, and she needed to be rescued. _

_She rounded a corner and that's when she saw it: a woman had Emma over her knee, spanking the little girl hard. Emma was bawling and Regina stopped short, momentarily shocked by what she was seeing. How could someone be hurting her little girl like that?_

"_Emma!" Regina cried, finding her voice again. Emma's head snapped up and she met Regina's eyes. Apparently, Emma could see her._

"_Please, I'll be good," Emma pleaded, her little voice cracking._

"_Shut. Up." The woman who was holding her down said. _

_Regina wasted no time closing the distance between herself and the woman, but try as she might to get a hold of her hands and stop her, it was useless. She was completely powerless here. She couldn't change Emma's memory._

_Just then, the phone rang in the other room, and the woman all but threw Emma to the floor, as she stood to go answer it. Regina dropped to her knees as Emma scrambled up into her arms. At least Emma she could actually touched._

"_I called for you and you came," Emma said, wriggling as close as she could get to Regina._

"_How?" Regina asked, out loud, not really expecting an answer. But Emma held up her hand, revealing the swan necklace clutched tight._

"_I bringed it with me I guess," Emma said, with a small shrug. "It brought you to me, 'cause I needed you."_

"_I can't save you here," Regina said, fighting back her tears as she rocked Emma in her arms, not knowing how long it would be until that woman returned. "I can't do anything here."_

"_It's okay Gina," Emma assured her. "You tried."_

_Regina continued to rock Emma, stroking her hair, until the woman returned. "What in the hell are you doing?"_

_Regina looked over, realising that Emma had vanished from her arms. She was across the room, creeping backwards in a sitting position, trying to hide herself behind the couch. Regina guessed this must have been what really happened in Emma's memory, since she hadn't been there to hold her the first time around. Emma had tried to hide, and this foster mother was livid._

_And there was nothing Regina could do to stop whatever was about to happen._

_Unless…._

"_Emma," Regina said, getting up and crossing the room, crouching down right in front of her as the foster mother continued to advance, oblivious to Regina's presence. "Wake up."_

"_How?"_

"_Just… Emma… just," Regina stammered, not really sure exactly how Emma was supposed to wake herself up. "Just think of my house. My bed. My bedroom. That's where you are. Kitty Soft Paws and the kittens are in the closet, baby. Think of them and go to them."_

Regina's eyes snapped open, and she was back in her bed, her heart racing. Emma was still in her arms, staring up at her with wide eyes, still clutching to the necklace.

"You did it," Emma whispered, looking up at her in awe.

"_You_ did it, baby," Regina corrected, squeezing Emma close against her.

"I wrote my name on the wall," Emma said, quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I know. I saw it next to the bunk beds," Regina nodded. "That's how I knew it was your memory and not my dream."

"No, not there. Here. On your wall," Emma confessed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay baby," Regina assured her. She couldn't care less about crayon on her wall at this point.

"That's why the Mommy was mad, because I writed on the wall," Emma continued, "I don't want you to be mad."

"I'm not mad, but Emma, I want you to stay awake now, alright?"

Emma turned and looked at Regina, confused. "But it's dark out."

"I know, but I want you to stay awake right now. Come on, let's get up," Regina insisted. She knew the moment Emma slept again, she'd be right back in that living room, with that foster mother. She needed to keep her awake until she could talk to the fairies and figure _something _out. The sun would be up in an hour now anyway, she figured. Then Emma wouldn't want to sleep.

"Look," Regina said, once they were downstairs. "Henry wrote you a new story. Should we read it?"

Emma grinned and nodded as Regina flicked on all the lights in the family room, and proceeded to sit down on the floor.

"Can I sit on your lap?"

As much as it pained her, Regina shook her head, no. "No, baby, you'll fall asleep if you do," she said, waving her hand to produce some blank papers and crayons. "How about this: I'll read the story, and you draw some pictures to go along with it? Henry said you were going to illustrate his stories."

Emma nodded excitedly as Regina opened the journal, hoping that Henry wouldn't mind she read the first chapter to Emma without him. He had let her read it earlier, and she hoped this one would be more to Emma's tastes.

"_The Adventures of Regina Mills and Kitty Soft Paws: Chapter one, take two…. NOT once upon a time, the beautiful, wonderful Kitty Soft Paws had her kittens inside Regina's closet. After Emma had gone home that day, Regina went to the closet to visit the babies._

'_Oh, Kitty Soft Paws,' she said, 'your babies are so beautiful, I think they should all live here forever and sleep in my bed with me.'"_

Emma giggled and looked up at Regina, who raised an eyebrow in return. "I hope you understand what fiction means… carrying on…"

"'_Oh, Regina, you are too kind,' Kitty Soft Paws replied. 'Now I feel bad for all the times I scratched you until you bled but then pretended to be innocent whenever Emma was looking.'"_

"Those aren't the words!" Emma insisted. "Henry wouldn't write that!"

"It's called artistic license, my dear."

"_Regina decided she should build a beautiful bed for the lovely kittens, using her finest ten thousand thread count silk sheets, because these kittens deserved nothing but the best. After all, Emma loved them so much, and Regina loved Emma so much, and would do anything for her, just to see her smile."_

"I like that part," Emma commented, as she drew big smiles on the kittens she had drawn on her paper.

"Me too," Regina agreed, setting the journal down. "Maybe we'll let Henry read the rest when he gets up, okay?"

Emma nodded as she continued to colour to her picture.

"You know I really would do anything to see you smile, right Emma?"

Emma nodded again, not looking up.

"It hurts my heart when you're sad or upset," Regina continued, "like you were earlier today. You know when you feel bad, you can just talk to me, and I will try to make it better for you, right?"

"I would smile if we keep one kitten," Emma said, peering up at Regina with a little grin on her face.

Regina sighed and shook her head. "I walked into that one, didn't I?"

Emma's grin widened. "Uh-huh. Or else if you let me bring Mr. Noodle inside."

"No snake. We'll talk about the kitten later. _And_ about what manipulation is, Little One."

"I'll smile if you call me Little One forever."

Regina smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that one."

"I'll smile if you tell me you love me."

"I love you, Emma."

Emma smiled. "See?"

Regina couldn't help but laugh, noting how Emma's cheeky little grin looked just like the adult Emma's. It had been harder to see when she was four or five, but Emma was slowly growing into herself.

"_I'll_ smile if you stay this sweet forever," Regina propositioned, giving Emma a little tap on the nose.

Emma seemed to think on that for a moment, before agreeing. "Deal," she said, decisively.

"That's my girl," Regina said, stroking Emma's little cheek. "Look, the sun's coming up. Time to start our day."

"And see the fairies?"

"And see the fairies," Regina nodded. "But you don't have to see them."

"I can see them, if you hold my hand," Emma offered. "I won't be scared if you're protecting me."

"Always, baby girl."


	17. Chapter 17

**I am so totally blown away that this story has reached 800 followers. You guys have no idea how much this means to me, so thank you so, so much!**

**Sorry updates are slow sometimes, but as of last week I'm now working two jobs, so I'm trying my best, but there's only so many hours in the day!**

**But, without further ado, more little Emma (because none of us can get enough lol)**

* * *

****Chapter Seventeen****

* * *

Regina brought Emma to the convent to meet with the fairies as soon as they'd dropped Henry off at school. Technically, Emma should have been in school now as well, but she was now too old for kindergarten, and would have to switch grades today anyway, and Regina knew finding a solution to the dream memory problem was a far more pressing issue at this point.

Emma held onto Regina's hand as tightly as she could as they approached the building.

"Little One, if you don't want to do this, I'll drop you off to hang out with Ruby at the diner for a little while, and come back to get you when I'm done," Regina offered one last time, knowing the little girl had developed a fascination for the waitress. Regina wasn't sure if it was actually Ruby that she liked, or just the fact that Ruby brought her food and gave her free ice cream.

But Emma held her head high as they continued to walk. "Uh-uh. I'm brave. And I know the fairies can't hurt me because you'll protect me."

"Yes, I will, Emma. But they aren't going to try to hurt you," Regina promised as she pushed the door open.

Blue met her at the door, and nodded with a small smile as they stepped inside, Emma eyeing her suspiciously the whole time.

"Good morning, Emma," Blue attempted, but Emma just pursed her lips shut and moved closer to Regina's legs.

"Let's just get down to business," Regina suggested, as she reached down and scooped Emma up, placing her on her hip. At six, Emma was almost getting too big to carry, which bothered Regina a little, but she knew it was inevitable, with Emma aging as rapidly as she was.

"Right," Blue nodded, stepping over to the table where she had a book open. "Well, after you called this morning, I got in contact with Y-E-L-L-O-W in the E-N-C-H-A-N-T-E-D F-O-R-E-S-T," Blue explained, spelling the name of Emma's most hated and feared fairy, since Regina had mentioned during their conversation earlier that Emma still hadn't made peace with what had happened in that situation.

Emma pouted, partly because she didn't like people spelling things out in front of her, and partly because she had a suspicion of who they were talking about. She might not know how to spell Yellow, but she knew that Blue talked to her from time to time, which is how she had ended up going through the well in the first place.

She guessed she really should be happy about that, at this point, since if she'd never gone through there, she'd never have found her parents, or met Henry or Regina or Kitty Soft Paws… but Emma was still determined to hate that fairy with every fibre of her being, regardless.

"Did she have anything to offer?" Regina asked, hopefully.

"Actually, yes," Blue informed her, indicating a spell in the open book where she'd made some notes. "As it turns out, the same thing was happening to her there, as here, and she used this spell to suppress the memories completely. Now, I'm sure that's not actually what you want to happen, or else Emma's going to miss out on a fairly huge chunk of her life and education."

Regina sighed and nodded. As much as she'd like to take away _all_ of Emma's bad memories, aging another twenty four years over the course of twenty four months would create a huge problem, if Emma didn't have her real life experiences as well.

"So, we figured out a modification. She'll dream normal dreams like you and I, and her memories will just return to her, gradually. By the time she's seven, all her six year old memories will have returned, but a little more subtly… they'll just kind of be… there. She won't have to relive them."

Regina nodded, smiling. "That's exactly what I want. Emma, did you…" Regina's voice trailed off as she noticed Emma dozing off in her arms. The child was exhausted, but Regina couldn't let her sleep, knowing what memory she was about to wake up in if she did. "Emma! Wake up."

Emma jumped, startled, and blinked at Regina, confused. "I wasn't sleeping."

"You were falling asleep, and I need you to stay awake," Regina insisted. "Blue can help. She can make it so you don't have to go away in your dreams anymore. I just need you to stay awake a little while longer."

"Well, actually, it's more than a little while," Blue informed her. "It's a potion she'll need to drink. I have Astrid gathering the ingredients now, but it will be late afternoon at the earliest before we'll be ready."

"Okay, well, then we'll just have to stay awake til then, won't we Emma?" Regina said, trying to smile encouragingly at the little girl in her arms. "It will be a game, how long can we stay awake."

Emma pouted. "I'm too sleepy for this game."

Regina sighed. "I know you're sleepy, Baby. How about we go to Granny's and get some ice cream. Will that wake you up?"

Emma grinned. "Ice cream before lunch? That will wake me up!"

"Call me the _second_ the potion is ready," Regina instructed Blue, as she turned to leave the convent.

* * *

Emma's eyes grew wide as Ruby brought over her bowl of ice cream. The little girl was amazed that Regina had actually allowed her to have ice cream in the morning, assuming it had just been some sort of ploy, but sure enough, there it was in front of her.

"Do _not_ get used to this, Little One. This is a one time thing, so enjoy it for today, understand?"

Emma nodded, grinning and she dug into the bowl.

"After this, we'll go to the park and play, how does that sound?" Regina offered, trying to think of things that would keep Emma's short attention span.

"How 'bout we go to the docks and feed the duckies?" Emma countered.

"Fine," Regina conceded, "so long as you do not ask to bring a single one home with you. Understood?"

Emma gave her a playful pout. "You're ruining my ice cream with all your dumb rules," Emma informed her. "And I wasn't even going to ask for a duck, anyway."

"Good."

Emma smiled as she spotted Ruby making her way over to their booth.

"Hey, Kiddo," Ruby greeted, sliding into the booth next to her. "Mind if I join you for my break?"

Emma nodded, and slid over to give Ruby a little more room, as the waitress and Regina exchanged greetings.

"So, Emma," Ruby said, grinning at the sight of her covered in ice cream. "Have you decided what you're going to dress up as for Halloween?"

Emma's eyes grew wide as she looked up at Regina, questioningly. "It's it soon going to be Halloween?"

"In a couple weeks," Regina nodded.

A big smile spread across Emma's little face. "Then it's soon gonna be my birthday!" she declared.

Of course she was right, Regina realized. Emma's birthday was nine days before Halloween, though she wasn't actually going to turn seven in this time. She supposed there would be no harm in throwing her a seventh birthday anyway, as she would reach seven in a few more weeks, anyway. And they'd missed her sixth, after all.

"Birthday and Halloween," Ruby commented. "Lucky girl."

"But now I hafta think of a costume," Emma said, solemnly, as if this was the most serious decision she'd ever had to make. Regina supposed, in a way, it really was, as six year olds didn't have a lot of pressing decisions to make.

"Maybe you could be a Sheriff?" Regina suggested.

Emma scrunched up her nose in distaste for the idea. "Nuh-uh. That's dumb."

"Emma, I really wish you would stop telling me my ideas are dumb," Regina sighed, earning a sharp laugh from Ruby. Regina raised an eyebrow at the younger brunette.

"Sorry, Regina, it's just funny, you know?"

"It's funny that Emma sasses me?"

"No, I mean… some things just never change. She still worships the ground you walk on, but she also still knows how to get her digs in when she wants to. Only, you can't do it back now, can you?" Ruby explained, shaking her head at the absurdity of the whole situation. She had spent some time with Emma and Snow, but she hadn't seen much of the Mayor bantering with the pint-sized Savior as of yet.

"I see," Regina said, wondering exactly what Ruby meant by Emma _still_ worshipping the ground she walked on, but she couldn't be bothered to ask for clarification. She guessed, at this point, it didn't really matter _what_ Ruby had meant by that, anyway.

"Well, on that note, it's time for me to get back to work," Ruby informed them, even though Regina was sure her break was far from over. She was sure Ruby just wanted to exit an awkward situation that she'd created.

"Bye Ruby!" Emma waved after her, before finishing the last bite of her ice cream. "Okay! Let's go feed the duckies!"

* * *

Regina led Emma by the hand to the dock, a bag full of stale bread from the diner in her other hand. It was a clear day, and to Emma's delight, there were lots of ducks out.

"Gina! Look!" Emma cried, practically dragging Regina to the edge of the pier.

"Emma, please be careful," Regina insisted. "Don't go so close to the edge. That water is very deep."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna _fall_!" she said, holding her hand out for some bread.

Regina set the bag down and reached in, pulling out a piece and handing it to Emma.

"Gina! You hafta let go of my hand! I can't rip the bread up with one hand!" Emma said, pulling hard in an attempt to free herself from Regina's grip. Regina sighed and relented, though she kept a very close eye on Emma as she started tossing chunks of bread into the water.

Emma laughed as the ducks clamoured over, quacking loudly as they attacked the pieces of bread raining over them. Several times, Regina guided Emma back from the edge, as the little girl got too excited and jumped closer, giving Regina a mini-heart attack every time.

They were almost out of bread when Emma spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Gina! Look! Swans!" Emma cried, pointing at the group of white swans making there way over from the right. Before Regina could even react, Emma was dashing off in the direction of the swans.

"Emma!" Regina screamed as Emma tripped and toppled over, shrieking as she went headfirst over the side of the pier.

"Emma!" Regina screamed again, dropping to her knees, looking over the side into the water below. She was about to jump in after her when she saw Emma's flailing arms resurface, and Regina wasted no time using her magic to pull Emma back up and into the safety of her arms.

Emma wailed as she grabbed onto Regina, holding on as tightly as she possibly could. Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's shivering, soaking wet body, holding her tight against her chest.

"Shh, baby, it's okay, I've got you. You're okay," Regina soothed, rocking her back and forth, as Emma continued to sob. "I'm right here, baby girl. You're safe."

Regina poofed Emma into dry clothes as her sobs diminished, and she poofed a warm blanket around her as well, before standing up with her still tightly wrapped in her arms, and continuing to rock her.

"I just wanted to look closer," Emma said softly into Regina's ear.

"I know, baby, I know," Regina said, running her fingers through Emma's wet hair. "Everything's okay."

"You saved my life."

"Well, you would have done the same for me," Regina informed her, knowing for a fact it was true, and that Emma _had_ saved her before, even if she didn't remember.

* * *

Regina took Emma home, and kept her awake for the afternoon with several _riveting_ rounds of Candyland in a row. Despite how much Regina _hated_ Candyland, there was no way Emma could nearly down playing a board game, and Regina would have willingly played it for days on end at this point, as the fluttery panicked feeling hadn't completely left her just yet.

By 2pm, Emma was struggling to keep her eyes open, as the doorbell rang. To Regina's relief, it was Blue, with the potion, which she informed Regina would 'probably' work. Regina rolled her eyes as she shut the door, vowing to personally destroy the pixie if this potion was unsuccessful.

She called Emma into the living room and gave her the potion to drink - which Emma informed her tasted like boogers and dirt - before pulling the Little One up onto her lap and wrapping her up in a blanket.

"Okay, Emma, it's time to sleep now," Regina told her. "And we'll see if this potion worked. If it doesn't, I don't want you to be afraid, because you still have your necklace to protect you."

Emma nodded and reached up for her swan necklace around Regina's neck, clutching it tight. "I'm just gonna hold on… just in case I need to call you to me again."

"Okay Baby," Regina agreed, as she started rubbing Emma's back to help her fall asleep. It didn't take long, as Emma was exhausted from her rough night the night before and her eventful day today, and Regina sat and held her, nervously, for the entire two hours that she napped.

She wasn't sure if Emma could pull her into her dream if she was still awake, but she was far too nervous to sleep, so she just held onto Emma and waited.

After two hours had passed, Emma's eyes began to flutter open, and she looked up at Regina and smiled. "It worked," she whispered, her smile growing bigger. "I didn't go away! I dreamed about Kitty Soft Paws! She could talk and she played Candyland and I let her win and you were there and you said that's wasn't fair because I never let you win! Gina… why are you crying?"

Regina wiped a tear from her eye as she smiled down at Emma. "Because I am so happy, Baby. Now you never have to go away again. You just get to stay here, in Storybrooke, where you're safe and loved."

Emma snuggled in against Regina and nodded. "I just want to stay here forever."

"Welcome home, Emma."

* * *

**Anyone want to hazard a guess as to who or what Emma will dress up as for Halloween? I have already decided, btw, I just want to see if anyone thinks like me ;) lol**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter will be 100% pure, unadulterated fluff. Sorry, not sorry ;)**

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

In the week leading up to Halloween, Regina had actually managed to convince Snow to let her throw Emma's birthday party at the mansion. As much as Snow wanted to have it at her own home, she had to admit that Regina really did have a lot more space, and also more time and resources to pull the party together.

So they decided on a Saturday afternoon costume party, on Halloween, so that the kids could all go out trick-or-treating together after the party. Snow had wanted a princess themed party, much to Regina's chagrin. Luckily, however, Emma sided with Regina and opted for a villain themed party instead.

"You cannot seriously be considering this," Snow had said, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

"Why not? I thought we were past this whole villains versus heroes thing by now? And besides, she watched the Disney version of _Sleeping Beauty_ and she fell in love with Maleficent. What other child can say they had the _real_ Maleficent at their party?" Regina had countered, effectively winning the argument.

Friday night, Henry had opted to stay over at the loft, so Regina had the night to herself to decorate for the party. Henry had claimed he missed his grandparents, but Regina had overheard him and Emma discussing secretive plans for their next prank, and she had a sneaking suspicion it would be coming on Halloween.

But she didn't have time to worry about that, as she had an entire house to decorate. She called on Maleficent to come over and give her approval, once the house was ready. Her old friend stepped inside and looked around, taking in the decor: purple and green streamers and balloons adorned the ceilings of every room, the tables were covered in black lacy tablecloths, topped with purple plates and green napkins. In the centre of the living room ceiling hung a large dragon shaped piñata which Regina had filled with candy, despite the fact that the kids would get even more trick-or-treating.

"Did you get your design tips straight from Pinterest?" Mal asked, shaking her head.

"How do you even know what Pinterest is?"

"Lily showed me," Mal shrugged. "It looks good, though. Almost makes me wish Lily had been the one to be switched back, you know? So I didn't have to miss everything."

Regina nodded. "I know. But it's not all it's cracked up to be, you know? I'm just trying my best to make it a good experience for Emma."

"Why though?" Mal asked, looking at Regina, seriously.

"What do you mean, why? Why wouldn't I?"

"Why you? She's not… your responsibility, you know?"

"But she-"

"She what? Sacrificed herself to save everyone? Yeah, I know. But you don't see everyone else dropping everything to help her now, do you? Look, Regina, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's a wonderful thing, really. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself _why_?"

Regina chewed on her bottom lip as she processed it. She really never truly had stopped to ask herself why. Leave it to Mal to be able to see right through her, as always.

"Look, Regina, let's just worry about the birthday party for now, okay? You can work out your feelings later. Lord knows you have time," Mal said, smiling at how flustered her friend was becoming.

"I don't have _feelings_," Regina said, earning herself a sharp laugh from Maleficent.

"Honey, you have more feelings than anyone I've ever met."

* * *

The following morning, Regina was up way too early, getting ready for the party. By 10am, she'd baked four dozen cupcakes with green and purple frosting, and magicked up an elaborate dragon cake. She was busy debating with herself as to whether or not making the cake breathe fire would be overkill, when she heard her doorbell ring.

She wiped her hands on her apron as she headed over to greet the unexpected guest. She swung the door open to be greeted by Henry, dressed in his Magneto costume, and Emma, inexplicably dressed in a tiny black pencil skirt, shiney black flats, a white button down and a black blazer, her blonde hair straightened and coloured dark brown -with what Regina hoped was just temporary Halloween coloured hairspray - and a stuffed cat which looked just like Kitty Soft Paws tucked under her arm.

"Trick or treat!" Emma cried, the moment Regina opened the door.

Regina looked back and forth, confused, between Henry and Emma, for a moment.

"She couldn't wait any longer for you to see her costume," Henry said, with a shrug. "Grandma and Grandpa will be here in a little while, but Emma just needed to come _now_."

Regina nodded, and then looked at Emma again. "And just who exactly are you supposed to be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And just who exactly are you supposed to be?" Emma parroted back, trying as hard as she could to match Regina's inflection. It was all Henry could do to keep from laughing out loud.

"I do _not_ sound like that!"

"I do _not_ sound like that!"

Regina shook her head and turned back to Henry. "So, this is your prank, then? Dress Emma up like me? Henry, I expected better from you," Regina chided.

"Oh, you think Emma's being you? No, mom, she wanted to dress up as a crazy cat lady!"

"I am _not_ a crazy cat lady!" Regina said, a little more defensively than she mean to, earning herself giggles from Henry and Emma, who both looked extremely proud of themselves.

"Gina, if you're not a crazy cat lady, then how come you got four cats living in your closet?" Emma pointed out, causing Henry to laugh even harder.

"I don't… those are your cats! Don't pin this all on me!"

"Mom! You're fighting with a six year old," Henry said, once he'd stopped laughing. "About cats, no less. If you weren't a crazy cat lady, you wouldn't be getting so defensive. Now, can we come inside?"

Regina crossed her arms in mock defense. "No. I don't allow other _humans_ in my home. It's a sanctuary for me and my cats."

"I bringed a cat! Can I come in?" Emma asked, holding up her stuffed cat as proof.

Regina smiled and stepped to the side, letting Emma pass, before looking at Henry pointedly again. "Whatever you put in her hair better be temporary."

"It is," Henry said, chuckling again. "Do you think Grandma would have let me do it otherwise?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised she let you do it at all," Regina admitted.

"Well… she might be under the impression that Emma's dressing up as Snow White," Henry said, grinning sheepishly at this mother.

"Henry!"

"What? Do you think she was going to let me dress her up as you, willingly? I'll take all the blame, don't worry! Well, maybe not _all_… because Ruby definitely had a hand in this one."

"Why am I not surprised," Regina sighed, finally stepping back completely to let Henry into the house. "I wondered how on earth you put together an outfit like that. Ruby might not dress to show it, but she does have good fashion sense."

Regina followed Henry back into the house, where they found Emma standing in awe in the living room, taking in the sight of the decorations and the piñata.

"What do you think, Emma?"

"Oh, she only answers to Madam Mayor," Henry pointed out, when Emma didn't speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Madam Mayor_. Is the decor to your standards?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled and nodded. "Yep! You can have a raise. You did good."

"Oh, well, I'm very glad it meets your approval. I did work hard," Regina said, smiling. "And I have a little surprise for you, later on."

"What surprise?" Emma asked, excitedly, momentarily forgetting she was trying to imitate Regina as all of her six-year-old giddiness shined through.

"A special guest. You will have to wait and see," Regina said, with a wink.

By noon, guests had begun arriving at Emma's party. Snow and David were among the first of them, Snow donning a long black wig and bell bottoms, and David with a fake mustache and a floral print shirt.

"Wow," Regina said, as she opened the door. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Sonny and Cher!" Snow said, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Okay, well come in," Regina said, shaking her head. Figures they'd wear matching costumes.

"Where's your costume, Regina?" David asked, as he pulled Neal, dressed in a fuzzy monkey costume, from his car seat.

"I don't do Halloween," Regina said, with a shrug.

Emma bounded into the room at the sound of her parents' voices, and Snow's jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of her. "Emma! I thought you were dressing as me for Halloween?"

Emma shot her mother a confused look. "What? No, I'm Gina… I mean, I'm not Gina, I'm a crazy cat lady," Emma corrected herself, holding up the stuffed cat as proof.

"It's a costume, Snow, don't take it so personally," Regina scoffed at the younger woman's hurt expression, as she turned to let more guests into the house.

Emma marvelled at the costumes everyone arrived in. Belle arrived with Ruby, wearing black leather pants and a tight black tank top that Regina couldn't only guess was on loan from the werewolf. Ruby had her hair slicked back, dressed in men's pants and a leather jacket reading "T-Birds". Rumours had been spreading around Storybrooke that the two were secretly dating, and though both vehemently denied it, Regina could only assume by their Sandy and Danny costumes that the rumours were true.

Nick and Ava arrived dressed as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and Henry rolled his eyes as he explained to Regina who they were, before the kids ran off to play video games in the living room. When Grace arrived dressed as Raggety Ann, Regina sent her off to join her friends. She couldn't help but laugh as Jefferson followed his daughter inside, dressed as a full sized Raggety Andy.

"It was Gracie's idea," he said, with a shrug.

The only fairy on the guest list was Tink, who arrived dressed as a ballerina. Ashley and Sean came as Gru and Scarlet Overkill, with little Alexandra dressed as a minion, much to Emma's delight, and Aurora and Philip were Princess Leia and Han Solo, with their little boy in a tiny Chewbacca costume. Emma was too young to get the reference, but she was elated anyway.

More and more guests trickled in, until the doorbell rang one last time, and Emma pulled the door open to reveal an imposing woman in a long black dress and shiney black horns on her headpiece.

"Gina!" Emma cried, at the sight of the unfamiliar guest. "Who's this?"

"Emma, this is my friend, Maleficent," Regina said, smiling.

Emma's eyes grew wide. She knew enough about Storybrooke to know that several people here were characters from stories she knew, but she didn't really know who was who or which characters were real people. "The real Maleficent?"

"Yes, darling," Maleficent said, with a smile. "Regina told me about this party, and I just couldn't resist. I hope you don't mind, I brought my daughter."

Maleficent motioned to Lily, who stood next to her dressed as the Disney version of her mother, complete with green skin.

"Two Maleficents!" Emma grinned.

"I wanted to see if I could out-Maleficent the original," Lily said, with teasing shrug to her mother. "Who looks better, Emma?"

"You both do," Emma said, very diplomatically, before shielding her mouth with one hand and mouthing "you do" to Lily.

"Regina, where is your costume?" Mal asked, as they women headed inside behind Emma.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I put this whole party together," she reminded her friend, "do I really need to wear a costume, too?"

"Yes! You could dress like me," Emma suggested.

Regina hesitated for a moment, before waving her hands to poof herself into a pair skinny jeans, a white tank top and a red leather jacket. "Better?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at Emma.

Emma looked back at her, confused. "No, I said _me_. I don't get it."

Regina just smiled and Lily and Maleficent laughed. "One day you will. We'll take a picture today, you and me, and I'll show it to you again when you're older and you'll get it."

Emma nodded, not quite convinced, but decided to let it be as Grace and Ava came up to her, asking to see the kittens.

"Can I show them, Gina?" Emma asked, anxiously.

"Yes, but remember, you can't pick them up yet, alright? And don't touch anything in my bedroom. That goes for all of you."

The girls nodded and followed Emma upstairs.

"You let her walk all over you," Mal said, shaking her head.

"I do not! I can't help that the kittens are in my room, that's where the damn cat decided to have them. It's not fair to tell Emma she can't go see them," Regina defended herself.

"Okay, if you say so. She's got you wrapped around her little finger, and everyone can see it," Mal teased.

"Whatever."

* * *

The party began to dwindle down as trick-or-treating time arrived. Regina felt a little bad that the kids in attendance were stuffed full of sugar already from the cake and cupcake, and the atrocious amount of candy from the piñata, but it was too late to take it all back. She was in the kitchen cleaning frosting from the counter top when Snow came to join her.

"Regina," Snow said, smiling as she entered the room, "I haven't had a chance to talk to you all night."

Regina nodded. "I know. Who'd have thought these few kids could have made this much noise? Add a little sugar to the mix, and Henry and his friends forget they aren't five anymore."

Snow laughed. "I swear sometimes, Emma is the mature one."

"Okay, let's not go overboard," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to thank you, for the potion, with the fairies. I know you aren't their biggest fan, but it's made a world of difference in Emma. She's so much happier now, and that's thanks to your persistence."

Regina nodded. "She would have done the same for me."

"Right. Yes, I know. But I still wanted to thank you. Not just for that, for everything. I know David and I haven't always been the most… well, I'm not sure how to put this… I guess I'm sorry for trying to push you out of Emma's life before."

Regina stiffened. Apologies from Snow always made her more than a little uncomfortable, since she had so much more to atone for in their past together. "Yes, well, it's all in the past, and you did have a point. I was overstepping with Emma and I shouldn't have. She's your daughter."

"She is. But she needs both of us, and that's clear to me now. She loves you, and I can see that you love her, too, and I'm just glad we found a way to make all of this work."

Regina smiled. "Me too."

"Did, um, did the fairies happen to mention if Emma's body will still go through the physical changes it did when she went away in her dreams? I mean, I know she will regain her memories still, and grow, but what about when she got the chicken pox again? Will things like that still happen?"

"I honestly don't know," Regina admitted. The fairies hadn't had an answer when she'd asked them, either.

"I mean, what about her tattoo? Will that come back? And what about…"

"Henry?" Regina suggested.

Snow nodded. "Yeah. What if she's pregnant again at seventeen?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll deal with it when the time comes. There's no much else we can do, really. Like Blue said, there's really no precedent for this, and there's no way to know for sure."

Snow nodded, and glanced around the kitchen again. "So… a Maleficent party," she commented, deciding to change the subject to the other thing that had been on her mind lately. "Emma seems to have an affinity towards villains."

"We've been over this," Regina reminded Snow, not wanting to get into the heroes versus villains debate again.

"We have and we haven't. Emma knows who David and I are, I mean, who we _really_ are, but she doesn't know who you are," Snow pointed out.

"I know. I kept that from her on purpose. And I would appreciate if you continue to do the same."

"She's going to find out one day, Regina. It's inevitable. But it would seem to me, right now at least, that she might be okay with it. She spent most of this party fawning over Maleficent."

"Yes, well, Maleficent didn't poison her mother, did she?" Regina snapped.

"No, she didn't. But wouldn't the truth be better coming from you, than having her overhear it at school or something?"

Regina sighed. Snow did have a point, but she wasn't really ready to sit Emma down and tell her about her own sordid past. "Can we talk about this later, please? It's almost time for the kids to go out trick-or-treating."

"Fine. But it's a discussion we need to have. Sooner rather than later," Snow said, as they headed back into the living room.

After some debate, it was decided that Snow and David would be the ones to take the older kids around, while Regina, Mal and Lily stayed back with Neal to hand out candy. Aurora and Ashley had already left with their families, and the rest of the adults in attendance started to head out as the kids set out on their way.

"Who would have thought we'd ever make it here," Mal commented, as she and Regina sat down on the couch, having delegated the task of handing out candy to Lily, who now sat at the front door with Neal on her lap.

"Here? Where?"

"Sitting at your house on a Saturday night babysitting Snow White's child," Mal said, grinning at Regina.

"Yes, well, people change, I suppose. Are you sure it's really fair to leave Lily in charge of the candy and the baby and the trick-or-treaters?"

Mal shrugged. "Well, she's got to get used to it."

"Why's that?"

Mal grinned even bigger than she had been all night, which Regina suddenly realized was _a lot_. "Because, I'm going to be a grandma!"

Regina's eyes widened. "What? Really?"

Mal nodded excitedly. "Yes! Lily told me last night! She's only a few weeks along, so please don't tell anyone. She wants to wait till three months, but I just had to share with _someone_."

"Wow, Mal, that's amazing. Congratulations. I'm so happy for you, truly."

"Thank you. And to think, just last night, I was wishing it had been Lily who'd been turned back into a child, and now she's going to have a child of her own! I'm going to get a chance to see that baby grow up. It's not the same but, it's still a miracle, you know?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, I do. It's like a second chance."

* * *

After a few hours, the Charmings returned to the mansion with Henry and an exhausted Emma. Emma dropped her bag on the floor and crawled up into Regina's lap immediately.

"What happened?" Regina asked, noting that Emma was now dressed in a fuzzy cat costume.

"Oh, well, apparently she figured out that spell you used to create your costume," Snow explained. "She's on her seventh costume change of the night. She also seems to think she can return to houses in a different costume to get more candy."

"Only the ones who gave out the good stuff," Emma said, defending herself in a tired whisper.

"That's my girl," Regina said, earning herself an eyebrow raise from Snow. "What? She knows what she wants and figures out a way to get it. She's a resourceful child, what can I say?"

Snow shook her head, but couldn't help but smile. "Anyway, Emma would like to stay here tonight so she can play with her new presents tomorrow. I can only assume you're okay with that?"

Regina smiled. "Of course," she said, hugging Emma tight to her. "You know you're always welcome here."

After the Charmings and Lily and Maleficent left, and Henry headed to up to his room, Regina scooped Emma up and carried her upstairs.

"I wanna sleep in your room," Emma said.

"Alright," Regina agreed. "Did you have fun today, Little One?"

Emma nodded as Regina set her down on the bed and helped her get changed into her pajamas. Normally Emma could do that on her own, but she was nearly asleep sitting up at this point. Regina smiled as she tucked her in under the blankets.

Not surprisingly, Emma was fast asleep by the time Regina had gotten herself changed and crawled into bed. She looked down at her, looking like a little angel as she slept, and was so grateful, all over again, to know that Emma wasn't disappearing into some horrible foster home right now. She was just dreaming, just like any other child.

"Good night, Little One," Regina whispered, as she kissed Emma's forehead. "I love you more than you'll ever know."

* * *

**Did you all hear the news that Agnes Bruckner is pregnant? Grandma Mal is a very real possibility! I'm all for it, tbh**

**What do you guys think? Will Emma be accepting of Regina's past if she learns that she was the Evil Queen? And what about Regina and Snow's conversation… will Emma magically become pregnant at seventeen? I want to hear your speculations!**

**Also, some of you have already noticed this, but sometimes you can't leave reviews. That's my fault, because I condensed the shorter chapters into longer ones, and essentially made the story have less chapters, over all. It was at 25 chapters that were all around 1,500 words, and I knew if I kept going like that, the story would likely hit 200 chapters! because of that, though, there was already a chapter 18 before, and if you commented on that one, it won't let you review this one :( Feel free to leave it as a guest, if you want, or PM me, because I love hearing what you think! Until next time...**


	19. Chapter 19

**Surprise! I'm still around! I've been working WAY too much and had like zero downtime, but I'm updating this story at long last lol. Hopefully more updates to come this week…. **

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

Not surprisingly, Emma was up at the crack of dawn the following morning, asking for candy for breakfast and wanting to play with her new toys.

"Puh-_leez_ Gina! Just one Kit Kat please?" Emma whined, practically to the point of begging, as Regina placed her pancakes in front of her.

"No candy before noon, how many times to I have to repeat myself?" Regina sighed. It didn't feel like all that much time had passed since she'd been having this same conversation with Henry, but he at least figure out to stop asking by the fifth 'no'. Emma, on the other hand, was relentless.

"As many times as it takes for you to see it's a stupid rule!" Emma snapped, pouting and crossing her little arms in defiance, glaring at the pancakes in front of her.

"Emma!" Regina gasped. "That is entirely inappropriate. Don't test my patience, young lady, or you will find yourself without candy for the rest of the day."

"That's not fair! That's my candy and you're not the boss of it!" Emma cried.

Regina raised an eyebrow, wondering just how far Emma was willing to push, because she was certainly not going to give in, especially not after Mal's comment about Emma having her wrapped around her little finger.

"Eat your pancakes, and we'll talk about candy after lunch, but only if you behave for the rest of the morning," Regina said, calmly, as she sipped at her coffee.

"You eat your pancakes," Emma said, pushing the plate away.

"If you're not going to eat breakfast, you are going to be a very hungry little girl come lunchtime, Emma."

Emma seemed to hesitate for a moment, unsure if she should eat, or get up and leave the table. In the end, she opted to pull her plate back and eat the food in front of her. Regina couldn't help but wonder if Emma had actually gone hungry on occasion in the foster system, enough times to know that was not what she wanted. She decided not to ask, however, as she didn't want to bring up unhappy memories this morning.

After a few silent bites, Emma began chattering away, filling Regina in on every costume and Halloween decoration she'd seen while out Trick or Treating. Her defiant attitude seemed to dissipate in a moment, and Regina was relieved. It didn't come as a surprise to her that Emma could be sassy from time to time, given that she had the freedom to say whatever she wanted here without fear of repercussion, which Regina could only assume was not something she was used to in her real childhood, but she still preferred her sweet little girl to the saucy one who spoke up from time to time.

After breakfast, Emma headed off to the living room to open some of her toys. Philip and Aurora had given Emma a bride and groom Barbie and Ken doll, and by the time Regina had finished cleaning up breakfast dishes and come to join her, she had the two exchanging vows on the coffee table.

"Do you Ken take Barbie to be your best friend forever and never ever leave her alone and make her sad? I do."

"Those are very sweet vows," Regina commented, as she sat down on the sofa behind where Emma was kneeling in front of the table.

"Everybody should have someone to never leave them," Emma commented, as she turned to face Regina with a solemn look on her face.

"You're right. And you know you have that now, right Emma? Not just someone, but lots of people who will never leave you?"

Emma nodded, and put the dolls down to come and join Regina on the couch. She observed Regina thoughtfully, and Regina could see the wheels turning in her head, and she knew Emma was trying to work something out that was confusing her.

"What is it, Emma?" Regina asked, finally.

"How come you don't have a husband?"

"Oh," Regina said, caught completely off-guard by the question. "Well, I did once, but I don't anymore," she explained.

"Henry's daddy?" Emma asked.

"No. I was never married to Henry's father," Regina said, shaking her head at the very _idea_ that she would have ever even slept with Baelfire, let alone marry him.

"Who was it then?" Emma pressed. "Cause I never see any pictures of him at your house."

"That's because there aren't any. It was a long time ago, and he passed away," Regina said, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Who was he? What was he like? Did you love him?" Emma asked, looking at Regina excitedly. "Were you sad when he died?"

Regina sighed. Snow was right. She wasn't going to be able to keep the truth of her Enchanted Forest identity from Emma forever, and the more she persisted on asking questions about Regina's past, the sooner it was likely to come out, she knew.

"He was… actually, Emma, I was once married to your grandfather. I was your mother's stepmother," Regina said, tentatively.

Emma grinned. "Really? So you're really my real family? Not just my friend?"

Regina smiled. "I guess I am," she agreed, but her smile faded as she watched Emma's face twist into a confused frown. "What, Emma?"

"If my Mommy is really Snow White, and you were her stepmother, then… that makes you the Evil Queen," Emma said, looking at Regina almost panicked.

"That was a long time ago, Emma. I made some bad choices, but I don't do those things anymore," Regina said, trying to keep her voice even, though she was regretting saying anything at all. She could already tell there was no way that Emma was going to take this well, at all.

Emma shook her head, looking like she might cry. "I saw the movie!" Emma cried. "You gave my Mommy a poison apple!"

"Emma, you know the Disney movies aren't the whole story, remember?" Regina said, attempting damage control, despite the fact that the movie got that point bang on.

"You hate her!" Emma declared, as the tears started to stream down her face. "How can you love me if you hate my Mommy?"

"Emma, I don't hate your Mommy. We're friends, you know that," Regina said, fighting back her own tears as she tried to force herself to remain calm. This was exactly what she'd thought might happen. Liking villains was one thing; liking the person who tried to kill your mother was something else, entirely.

And it was too late. Emma's bottom lip quivered as she told Regina, "I wanna go home!" Before Regina could get another word in, Emma disappeared before her eyes in a poof of white smoke.

Regina breathed a heavy sigh and grabbed her phone, quickly dialling Snow. "Is Emma there?" Regina asked, the second Snow answered.

"Yes, she just showed up. Regina, she's bawling. What happened?"

Regina sighed again. "You were wrong. She knows who I am - who I was - now, and this is her reaction."

"Oh, Regina, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's my own fault. Don't worry about me. Just comfort your daughter."

* * *

It took nearly an hour for Snow and David to get Emma calmed down enough to get the entire story out of her.

"Emma," Snow said, gently, running her fingers through her daughter's hair as they sat on the sofa in the small sitting room in the loft. "I know that was a lot of information to take in at one time, and that you didn't expect any of it, but honey, you've got to understand, Regina's just Regina now. She's not the Evil Queen, and she hasn't been in a very long time. She's not going to hurt you, or me, or anyone else for that matter."

"But she already did hurt you," Emma pointed out, still pouting. "She tried to put you to sleep forever!"

"She did, but Daddy saved me, just like in the movie. And Regina and I set aside our differences, and we're friends now, you know that."

Emma shook her head. "I don't wanna go back there anymore."

Snow sighed. There was a time in recent history, that those words from her daughter's mouth would have actually made her happy, but she'd meant what she'd said the night before: Emma needed both herself and Regina. She couldn't let her daughter fear a woman she loved so much.

"Emma, baby, listen to me: Regina did bad things, but she only did them because she was sad. People hurt her, and so she hurt other people. She thought it would make everything right, but it didn't. She learned her lesson, and she changed. Trust me, baby, if I can forgive her, anyone can."

Emma continued to shake her head. "Uh-uh. She's a liar."

"How is she a liar?"

Emma shrugged. "She shoulda said who she was. She didn't tell the truth, and that's lying. I'm not gonna go there anymore. You have go to get Kitty Softpaws and the babies and bring them here," Emma said, nodding her head decisively.

"Don't you think you're going to miss Regina?" Snow asked.

Emma shook her head again. "Nope. I been in lots of houses and I don't miss any of them. Gina's house is just another house."

"That's not true, and I don't think you believe that."

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore," Emma said, as she reached up to pull her necklace off and hand it to Snow. "Gina can have that back, I don't want it anymore. You have to get my necklace back from her. And my toys."

"Emma, that sounds very bossy of you," Snow commented, trying not to sound overly scolding her daughter's emotionally fragile state.

"I never get to have nice things. She can't keep them!" Emma cried.

"I'm not saying that she can. I'm saying that I didn't hear a single please."

"_Please_ get all my stuff from Gina's. And my kitties," Emma attempted again.

"How about this," Snow offered. "You sleep on it tonight, and if you're still sure you won't miss Regina, then we'll talk again tomorrow about getting your stuff."

Emma sighed, and noded, reluctantly. She supposed she did have toys at the loft she'd hardly even played with yet, she could wait one day for the rest of her toys to get here.

* * *

"Mom? What's going on? Where's Emma?" Henry asked, looking from Emma's scattered toys to Regina's tear stained cheeks.

Regina shook her head and shrugged. "She went home."

"She went home? Mom, what happened?"

"What always happens, Henry? She found out who I really am, and now she doesn't want to be anywhere near me. I can't say I blame her."

"Mom," Henry said, as he sat down beside her on the couch. "She might have found out who you _were_, but that's not who you _are_."

"Really? Because semantics didn't make all that much of a difference to you, when you figured it out, did they?" Regina replied, more defensively than she meant to.

"Yeah, but, I was just a kid then," Henry started, and the realization dawned on him. "And… Emma's just a kid now. I get it."

Regina sniffed back more tears and nodded. "It's my own fault. I shouldn't have said anything. I should have waited until she was older."

"Well, she was going to find out eventually, anyway. It's better that she heard it from you than from some kid at school," Henry reasoned.

Regina let out a small, mirthless laugh. "That's exactly what your grandmother told me last night."

"She'll come around, Mom. She loves you too much to stay mad forever. She just needs time to process, or whatever. Everything will be fine," Henry insisted.

Regina smiled. "The heart of the truest believer."

"I never stopped believing that she would come back to me, and she did. She'll come back to you, too. Just give it time."

* * *

Snow decided not to broach the subject of Regina with Emma for the rest of the day, opting instead to let Emma bring it up when the time was right, for her.

That time came around the same time Snow was tucking Emma into bed.

"How did Gina get hurt?" Emma asked, quietly, a serious look on her face. "You said someone hurted her. What happened?"

Snow sighed as she stoked Emma's hair. "She lost someone she loved very much. She was going to marry him, but he got taken away from her and that broke her heart," Snow explained.

"Oh," Emma said, looking down.

"Emma, I'm not going to make you go to her house or spend time with her if you don't want to, but I want you to be very sure that this is what you want before I tell her, because it's going to break her heart all over again. She loves you very much, and I know you love her, too."

"I'm sleepy now," Emma said, as she rolled over onto her side.

"Okay, good night baby. We'll talk more in the morning," Snow promised, as she kissed Emma on the forehead.

Emma waited until Snow was back down stairs to sit back up in her bed. She waved her hand to conjure her necklace back to her, and held it in her palm, staring at it intently, and remembering the day Regina got it for her.

Emma grinned, remembering the picture frame she'd let her pick out that day, and how she hadn't even got mad when Emma drew all over the walls. She didn't yell or spank. Maybe she really wasn't evil anymore, afterall?

One thing Emma knew for sure, she didn't want to be the cause of another broken heart for Regina. She was going to have to make this all better.

* * *

Regina sat in her living room that evening, with a glass of wine and a book she was really only pretending to read, even though no one else was actually watching her. She'd picked up Emma's toys and put them in her room. She'd cleaned up the rest of the decorations from Emma's party, and fed Emma's cat, realizing just how much of her life was Emma now.

Or had been, until today.

She couldn't help the lump forming in her throat at the thought that it might be all over now. She was sure Henry was right, and Emma would come around eventually, but how long would that take? A few weeks? A month? Would Emma be seven by then? Or eight? Older even? How much of their bond would be lost if that much time went by.

Regina put the book down and sighed, looking up at the ceiling as she fought back more tears. Maybe Maleficent was right. Maybe she did feel more deeply than most people. All she knew was what she was feeling right now hurt like hell.

Regina gasped as she felt a distinct aura of magic in the air, and turned to see Emma sitting on the couch, the white smoke quickly dissipating around her.

"Emma!" Regina said, smiling and breathing a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here?"

"I always come to tell you good night," Emma said, quietly.

"Yes, you do," Regina nodded, holding her arms out and hoping Emma wouldn't shy away.

To her immediate relief, Emma got up from her spot and climbed into Regina's arms, squeezing her tight around the neck as Regina hugged her back just as tightly.

"I'm sorry Gina," Emma whispered. "I don't want to make you sad. I don't want to break your heart."

Regina couldn't stop the tears from falling again as she continued to hold onto Emma tightly. "I'm sorry too, Little One. For everything. But you don't make me sad. You just made me so, so happy."

"Mommy said that you loved someone and he got taken away. Everyone needs someone who will never leave. I'm never gonna leave you, Gina."

"I will never leave you either, Little One. I love you too much."

"And besides," Emma said, leaning back to look at Regina with a little cheeky grin. "There's no room at Mommy and Daddy's for four cats, and Kitty Softpaws said she doesn't want to leave here."

"Oh, she did, did she?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow as she reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks with one hand.

"Uh huh! So I guess we both have to stay, cause you need us both."

"I will never admit to needing that cat, Emma. But you're right, I need you. You fill a hole in my heart that I didn't even know was there, and I need you to stay there forever, got it?"

Emma nodded. "Got it! I gotta go back home now, but you're gonna pick me up for dance tomorrow, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, baby girl."

Regina watched with a sad smile as Emma poofed herself back to the loft, and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of loss the moment she was gone. Emma really did fill a hole in her heart, like a missing piece of a puzzle she didn't even know was lost. She was sure this was something she'd have to sort out in a few years when Emma was back to herself again, but for now, she could just be content that her little girl loved her again.

Evil Queen and all.

**TBC**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Fear not, my friends, this story is FAR from over... like I said, it's going to be an ongoing saga... Emma's still only 6, she needs to get back to her adult self eventually! And I have BIG plans for the teenage years ;)**_

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

It was shortly after noon the following day that Regina received a phone call to her office from Storybrooke Elementary.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Regina," Snow's voice came through the other end. "Are you busy?"

"Just working," Regina replied with a shrug, as she glanced at the paperwork on her desk, knowing that Snow knew just as well as she did that the Mayoral paperwork was mostly just for show.

"Oh. Well, I was wondering if you could come pick up Emma? Something happened on the playground at school today. She got in a fight with another child, and she won't really talk about it, but she's very upset, and she only wants you."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

When Regina arrived at the school, she headed immediately to the office, where she found Snow sitting with Emma on the sofa. Emma had her arms crossed and a little scowl on her face, but she brightened up the moment she saw Regina step it.

"Gina! Are you gonna take me away from here?" Emma asked, hopefully.

"Yes, Emma," Regina nodded, as she shot a questioning glance at Snow.

Snow turned to Emma. "Emma, remember what we talked about? If you won't tell me what happened on the playground, you have to tell Regina, right?"

Emma pouted, but nodded reluctantly. "I guess," she mumbled, as she looked back up at Regina again.

"The other kid said Emma punched him in the face for no reason," Snow explained, as she stood up. "I don't believe that's true, but Emma won't tell me anything."

"I don't believe that's true, either," Regina agreed, as Emma ran over to her and latched on to her hand. "I'll see what I can do."

Regina led Emma out to her car as Snow headed back to her classroom to finish teaching for the day. "Alright, Little One," Regina said, once they'd reached the car, as she crouched down to be at Emma's eye level. "What are we going to do about this fight on the playground?"

Emma shrugged. "I didn't even get to play on the swings," she said, completely avoiding the topic, "I had to go straight to the principal."

"I see. What if you and I go to the swings at the park and have a little chat?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess."

Regina stood up and opened the back door for Emma to climb in. The girl definitely didn't seem herself at all today, and Regina wasn't sure if it was still the aftermath from the emotional day the day before, or if something else was bothering her. Either way, she was determined to find out.

The ride to the park was a silent one, as Emma just sat and stared out the window, and the park was thankfully empty when they arrived, since most of the children of Storybrooke were still in school. The moment Regina opened the door, Emma hopped out and ran over to the swings, jumping on the first one she reached.

"Push me, Gina?" she asked, hopefully, once Regina had reached the swings.

"I thought maybe we could talk a little first," Regina said, sitting down on the swing next to Emma.

Emma pouted and looked at the ground, kicking her little legs to try to get the swing started on her own, and it was clear to Regina that whatever had happened, Emma really didn't want to talk about it.

"Emma," Regina said, as she watched the girl become more frustrated with the swing that just wouldn't start. "Emma," she said again, more forcefully, causing Emma to finally look up and meet her eyes. "Come here." Regina patted her thighs, and Emma sighed, getting down from her swing and climbing, somewhat reluctantly, onto Regina's lap.

Regina put her arms around Emma, holding her safely on her lap as she rocked the swing gently. "So… let's talk about what happened on the playground."

Emma shrugged, still looking at the ground. "Nothing. Some boys are mean."

"Was a boy being mean to you? Is that why you punched him?"

"He was saying things about me that weren't nice," Emma confessed. "He was telling lies."

"What was he saying?"

Emma paused for a long moment, playing idly with the ends of her hair, before turning to look thoughtfully in Regina's eyes. "Gina… is there something wrong with me?"

Regina drew in a sharp breath, suddenly worried for what, exactly, this boy at school had told Emma. It was a safe assumption that all the adults in Storybrooke - even the ones who hadn't known Emma personally - knew that this little girl was once the full grown Savior, but what were the odds any of those parents had told their children?

"No, sweetheart, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. What did that boy tell you?"

"He said I'm not like the other kids. He said I grow too fast and it's bad magic," Emma confessed, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. "I don't wanna be bad!"

Regina sighed and hugged Emma close to her. "You're not bad, baby. You don't have a bad bone in your body, I promise. And there's no bad magic in you."

Emma pushed herself away to look at Regina again. "But he said the same thing the fairy said, when I lived with her. Something _is_ wrong with me!"

"Nothing is wrong, Emma, but there is something very special about you. And it's not bad, it's very good, but some people don't understand it," Regina began to explain. She hadn't wanted to even _attempt_ to explain to Emma what was happening, at this age, but she supposed it really was only a matter of time before Emma, herself, realized that she was getting older much quicker than the children around her. She would be seven soon, and going to school, she would figure it out for herself before long.

"Emma," Regina said, trying to decide exactly how to explain this to a child, when she still barely understood exactly what forces were at play here. "I didn't want to tell you this until you were older, because I'm not sure you'll understand, but I'm going to try to explain what's happening, alright? But I don't want you to be scared, because it's nothing bad, I promise. And you know I'm going to protect you, no matter what, right?"

Emma nodded, though her eyes betrayed her nervousness. Regina guessed she should be surprised. Emma had had a bombshell dropped on her just yesterday, and now she was going to get a whole new onslaught of unexpected information.

"Do you know what reincarnation is?" Regina asked, hopefully. To her dismay, Emma shook her head, no. "Okay. Well, I'm going to try my best to explain this so you understand. You do grow faster than the other kids, but it's not bad magic, it's good magic. There's a reason you used to go away in your sleep, and the reason is, you've already been a kid before, and grown up, and now you're a kid again."

Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion. "How?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure, baby. All I know is, you grew up to be an adult, and you did a really, truly amazing thing, and you saved this whole town from bad magic, and somehow, after you did that, you got a second chance to have a happy childhood. Those places you went to in your dreams, before, and those memories you have of different homes you've lived in, those things all happened a long time ago, the first time you were four, or five, or six. What's happening now, you being here, in Storybrooke, with your parents, and Henry, and me… this is your second chance."

Emma nodded, slowly, processing the information. Regina supposed that for a child to possessed magic, and who had been raised by a fairy in the Enchanted Forest until she was four, and who was well aware that her parents were fairytale characters… perhaps this information wasn't all that hard to absorb, as strange as it was.

"What are you thinking, Emma?" Regina asked, finally, after a prolonged silence from the girl.

"I'm thinking… I don't care if I'm different as long as you still love me," Emma said, grinning up at Regina.

"Always, baby girl."

"Gina…. I'm really sorry about yesterday," Emma said, her grin falling a little.

"It's alright, Little One. You reacted just how I thought you would. It's not your fault. I did a lot of bad things, and I know why that would upset you. But I promise I'm a better person, now."

"I know… but, people always tell me I'm bad, too. That's why no one adopts me. I feel bad 'cause I made you feel bad."

Regina hugged Emma tightly to her again. "You're not bad, Emma. No one adopted you before, because you needed to be able to find your way back home to Storybrooke. I know that's hard to understand, but that was a long time ago, and you have your family here, now, and we all love you so much."

Emma smiled again, and looked up at Regina. "Push me on the swings now?" she asked, that hopeful look in her eyes again.

"Of course, Little One," Regina said, lifting Emma off of her lap so she could get back on the other swing. "I'd do anything for you."

* * *

After dance, Regina brought Emma back home to the loft, and Snow cornered her the moment Emma took off up the stairs for her toys.

"I take it you got my message?" Regina asked, noting the intense look in Snow's eyes.

"Yes! You told her? Regina, I don't think she's ready!" Snow insisted.

"It doesn't matter if she's ready or not, kids at school already know. That boy she punched, he told her she's different. And Snow, she handled it much better than the news she got yesterday, which, if I remember correctly, _you_ were in complete support of me telling her."

Snow sighed. "I know. I'm sorry… I just… I wanted her to be able to hold on to her innocence a little longer, you know? To relive her childhood as an actual _child_."

"She's still an innocent, Snow. This doesn't change anything. Emma's still just a child, she just now knows what is happening to her. Or, at least some of it. You know we're going to have to tell her about Henry eventually, right?"

Snow nodded. "I'm not looking forward to that conversation."

"Well, we'll wait until she's older. She's a resilient little girl, she'll be fine. And it's better this way, because she was going to catch on soon enough that all her little friends stay _little_, while she gets older."

"You're right," Snow agreed, though she still didn't look overly happy about it, and Regina really couldn't blame her for that.

"Speaking of getting older, those kittens of hers are going to have to find new homes soon," Regina pointed out.

"Oh? Well, that sounds like your problem," Snow said, teasingly.

"Hmm, maybe… except for that she wants to bring one here."

"No. Not a chance," Snow said, shaking her head vehemently.

"What's the matter, Snow?" Regina teased. "Afraid they'll scare the birds away?"

"I have a magical six-year-old and a baby, I do _not_ need a kitten," Snow insisted.

"We'll see," Regina said, with a wink, before heading up to Emma's room to say bye to her.

"Gina," Emma whispered, as Regina entered the room. "Did you tell Mommy about the kitty?"

"Yes," Regina nodded, having done just what she'd promised Emma she'd do on the car ride over to the loft. "But I think she might need a little more convincing. Work on that pout, Little One, you'll win her over in no time."

Emma grinned and nodded, before getting up to give Regina a big hug. Regina scooped her up in her arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm so happy to see that smile back, Little One," she said, as she gave Emma another tight squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You'll see me tonight when I come say good night," Emma corrected.

"Yes, you're right. Good bye, Emma."

"Bye Gina. I love you!"

Regina smiled, as Emma's little voice tugged at her heartstrings yet again. "I love you too, Little One."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Hallelujah, it's a Christmas miracle… I updated Lost &amp; Found! There's a time jump between the last chapter and now because I wanted to do a Christmas chapter actually AT Christmas… so I hope you'll forgive that Emma is no longer six, and is now seven going on eight.**_

_**Also, a very special moment in this chapter was inspired by Gravity in the Air and a special gift that she gave me, so this one's for you!**_

**Chapter Twenty One**

* * *

"Gina, is it time for bed yet?" Emma asked, looking up from the Christmas card she was busy colouring on the kitchen floor as Regina worked on dinner.

"Emma, it's not even dinner time yet. Your parents are coming over, remember? You can't go to bed until it's night time because I won't have you up at three in the morning asking to open presents, understand?"

Emma rolled her eyes and let out an over-exaggerated sigh as she turned her attention back to the card she was working on. It had taken a lot of deliberation, but Regina had _finally_ managed to convince Snow and David that they should sleep at her home on Christmas Eve so that the whole family could spend Christmas morning together. With Emma's rapid aging, she would be nineteen by the next time Christmas rolled around, and Regina didn't want to miss one moment of the only Christmas they would get with her as a child. Neither did Henry, and that had been the bargaining chip she'd used to eventually win the Charmings over.

"Where am I even gonna sleep tonight?" Emma asked as she continued to colour.

"Emma, we've been over this. Your parents are taking my room, you and Henry are sleeping in his room, and I'm going to sleep in your obnoxiously pink bedroom which I will probably be blinded by all night."

Emma grinned. She knew exactly what the sleeping arrangements were for the night, she just liked hearing Regina complain about having to sleep in her room.

"Who's that card for Little One?" Regina asked, looking at the lovely picture Emma had drawn of cats wearing sweaters and sitting around a Christmas tree.

"Kitty Softpaws," Emma said, seriously. "She's gonna miss her babies when we give them away in the new year."

"I know she will," Regina agreed. "Maybe after spending a night in the room they live in, your mother will change her mind on taking one."

Emma smiled, though she was well aware that her mother was still completely opposed to the idea of taking a kitten. Emma also now knew, after seeing her at Granny's last week, that the lady who had cut her hair the day the kittens were born didn't really want to take on the kitten that Emma had named after herself. Regina had told her, on no uncertain terms, that _no_ kittens were staying with her, which meant that they'd all have to be given away to strangers.

And Emma didn't like that idea.

"Look how happy this kitten family is," Emma said, pointing out the cats in her drawing. "Do you know why they're happy?"

Regina glanced at the picture again, but opted not to answer, as she was well-aware she would be walking into a trap.

"No, Emma," Emma said, in her best imitation of Regina's voice, "please tell me why they are so happy? Oh, Gina, I'm glad you asked"

Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Yes, please Emma, tell me why the cats are so happy."

"Because they all get to live together as one big happy cat family and no one has to go live with strangers."

Regina bit her lip. She couldn't help but think that Emma's reluctance to give the kittens away stemmed from her own past of living with strangers, and she didn't really want to get into bad memories on a night that was supposed to be fun and memorable for Emma.

"Emma, I told you we can keep them until the new year, so let's worry about the kittens in January, okay? They are still too young to leave, anyway."

Emma nodded, and Regina guessed she probably didn't want to get into bad memories either.

Either way, their conversation was cut short by the doorbell, and Emma jumped up, guessing that it was likely her parents at the door. Emma pulled the door open quickly, and grinned widely when she saw the bags of gifts her parents were hauling with them. Emma wrapped her arms around her mother, nearly knocking Snow over from the force of the hug.

"Mommy! Are these for me?" Emma asked, excitedly.

"You, and your brother, and Henry," Snow nodded, as she handed Emma some of the smaller bags to carry.

"I can't believe you guys are really gonna sleep here tonight," Emma marvelled, as she led the way to the living room where the massive tree was set up. "Gina said we can stay up and watch a movie, but I just wanna go to bed so Santa can come. He never came to any of my foster homes. I don't think he can find kids there 'cause we move so much, but Gina said he knows I'm here this year!"

Snow and David exchanged happy glances. The moment was bittersweet, as they both knew this was the only real Christmas Emma would experience with her family as a child, and Snow was suddenly so grateful they'd finally agreed to spend it at Regina's as a whole family.

"This tree looks like it should be in a magazine," David commented, as he set Neal down in his carseat. They'd dressed him up in a Santa outfit, complete with hat.

"Gina let me do this side," Emma said, proudly, as she pointed to a section of the tree that was barely visible, as it was near the wall, and quite clearly did not match the black, silver and purple colour theme that Regina had going with the rest of the ornate tree. Snow smiled, noting that Emma's section looked much more like their own tree at home, which Emma and Henry had decorated completely.

"It looks lovely, baby," Snow smiled.

"Mom wants to get a picture of all of us in front of the tree," Henry declared, as he entered the room. "Emma, she got you a new dress. It's in your room."

Emma scrunched up her nose. Dresses weren't really her 'thing' anymore. Once she'd turned seven, she insisted she didn't want to wear them anymore, despite how cute Regina and her mother constantly told her she looked in them.

"Come on, Emma," Henry grinned. "For my mom?"

"Ugh. Fine," Emma said, rolling her eyes as she took off up the stairs. Once she entered her room, she looked around and sighed. Regina was right: the walls were blinding. And she wasn't really as into pink as she had been at four or five. The thought for a moment, wondering how hard it would be to change the wall colour with her magic.

She thought hard about the spell she'd used to change costumes on Halloween. How different could this be? It took a few attempts, but finally, in a flash of white light, the walls glowed momentarily, and then settled on a nice, bright shade of yellow.

"Perfect," Emma grinned, as she turned to look at the dress Regina had laid out on the bed. "Not perfect," she sighed, as she looked at the red and white frilly _thing_ she was expected to wear.

Reluctantly, Emma changed into the dress, and stood staring at herself in front of the mirror. She was pretty sure it looked worse on her than it had lying on the bed, but then again, she reasoned, _this_ is what kids were supposed to deal with in life: wearing clothes they didn't like because it made them look 'cute'. Dresses, as much as Emma hated them, were infinitely better than not knowing where she would live next week, so she guessed she might as well suck it up.

Emma brushed her hair, as she assumed that would be the next thing she was told to do anyway, and trudged back down the stairs, to see her mother's eyes light up at the sight of her.

"Oh, Emma, you look so precious," Snow gushed, but Emma made no attempt to hide the disdain on her face.

"You hate it," Regina commented, raising an eyebrow at Emma.

"I look like a frilly candy cane," Emma pouted. "But I'll wear it if you want me to."

Regina sighed and waved a hand, and instantly Emma was in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt under a white and red plaid shirt. "Better?"

Emma grinned and nodded.

"I'd rather have you comfortable than miserable," Regina reasoned, as she ushered everyone in front of the tree. "Now let's get this picture before this house becomes overrun with chaos."

It took several minutes to get everyone arranged in front of the tree, facing the camera Regina had set up on a tripod. The automatic capture went off three times before they were completely, and smiling at the lens.

When the final picture was taken, Henry jumped up immediately to go check the image on the screen. "It's perfect," he grinned, looking at Emma, though Regina didn't seem to notice. Regina just looked relieved. She wanted a good family portrait for the scrapbook she'd been working on, and as Emma got older, Regina became more determined to document and preserve as many good memories for her as she could.

"Dinner time?" Emma asked, hopefully.

"Yes. Come along, everyone," Regina nodded, leading the way into the dining room, where she'd decorated the table beautifully, to complement the over-the-top dinner she'd prepared for the occasion.

And to her relief, dinner went off without a hitch. No one was fighting, or flinging silverware, or turning up their noses in disgust to food items they didn't care for. She ate in silence as she watched the scene before her, Emma and Henry joking and laughing, Snow and David beaming, and thought about just how far they'd all come in four months.

Just as always, it was Emma who brought them all together, and Regina shuddered to think what this Christmas might have been like if Emma had never returned to them. She was sure that sparkle in Henry's eyes wouldn't be shining so brightly, and she was quite certain the Charmings wouldn't have been joining her for dinner.

"Gina," Emma's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Emma," Regina said, smiling as she shook her head. "I was just thinking about how perfect everything is right now."

"Oh!" Snow cried out, as though she had just remembered something. "I almost forgot. I brought Christmas crackers!"

Emma watched in confusion as Snow passed out the silver tubes to everyone on the table.

"Pull the tabs and it pops open," Henry said, showing Emma how they worked.

Emma giggled as her cracker snapped open, revealing a small car toy and a red paper crown. She laughed out loud when Regina opened hers revealing a small plastic cat and a pink crown.

"Seriously?" Regina asked, looking pointedly at Snow.

"I swear, that was _not_ intentional," Snow replied, unable to hold back her own laughter as Emma got up and grabbed the pink crown, putting it on Regina's head for her, just in case she thought she was going to get away with not wearing it.

After dinner, Regina got everyone gathered into the family room for hot chocolate and a Christmas movie before bed, and Emma wasted no time getting herself settled in between Regina and Snow on the couch.

By the time the movie ended, Regina could tell Emma was getting tired, and as Snow and David excused themselves to get Neal ready for bed, Regina scooped Emma up in her arms to take her upstairs.

"I can walk, Gina," Emma pointed out, even though she made no attempt to try to get down, and instead wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and laid her head on her shoulder.

"I know you can, but I'm not going to be able to carry you around much longer, so let me enjoy this, alright?"

Emma smiled and nodded. Regina put her down in front of her bedroom door and sent her in to change into her pyjamas while she went to wait for her in Henry's room. Regina sat down on her son's bed and took out the small wrapped box she'd hidden in his nightstand drawer, and held it in her hands, waiting for Emma.

Emma bounded into the room seconds later and dive bombed into the bed. Not exactly the sweet moment that Regina had been hoping for, but she really expected nothing less from Emma by this point.

"I have something for you, Emma," Regina said, holding out the box as Emma snuggled up next to her.

"But it's not Christmas yet," Emma pointed out, confused.

"I know. But this is something special that I wanted to give to you, before the chaos of Christmas morning. I want you to open it now."

Emma smiled as she took the gift from Regina, and began unwrapping it carefully, to reveal a black velvet box inside. She opened it, to find a beautiful silver feather pendant on a delicate chain.

"A feather?" Emma asked, looking up at Regina, a little confused. "Because of my last name?"

"No, that's just a coincidence," Regina said, as she took the necklace from the box and clasped it around Emma's neck. "A feather symbolizes survival, Emma, and you are a survivor. You are the bravest person I know, Emma, and you always have been. I wanted to give you this to remind you, just in case you ever forget."

Emma smiled and put her hand lightly on the pendant. "I love it. I didn't get you anything special, though."

Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair, before pulling the girl into a hug. "You are the most special gift I ever could have asked for, Little One. You and Henry are the light of my life, and all I could ever need or want."

Regina let Emma cuddle up against her until she fell asleep, and headed back down the stairs to send Henry to bed as well. Once he was headed upstairs, and the Charmings were off to bed as well, Regina set about cleaning up from dinner and poofing all the presents she'd had hidden in the house under the tree.

She was about to head off to bed herself when she spotted the camera again and decided to check out the family portrait for herself, just to ensure that it was, indeed, perfect.

Regina smiled to herself as she scrolled through the pictures that had been taken early, of everyone scrambling to get organized, and then she groaned when she reached the actual picture. Of course, it was perfect in that everyone was in place, smiling, eyes open, and facing the camera, but what she'd failed to notice was that Emma had managed to poof Kitty Softpaws and all three kittens into her arms for the picture - sweaters included. Regina hadn't seen the cats, and she guessed Emma had poofed them back without a trace the moment the picture had been taken.

For a brief moment, Regina considered perhaps insisting on a new picture the next morning, but as she looked at Emma's beaming smile, she realized Henry was right: the picture was perfect just as it was.

And she knew tomorrow would be a frenzied chaos of wrapping paper and delighted cheers and her living room was going to look like a tornado hit it. And she was quite sure that Emma would be just like Henry had been at seven, waking her up every hour to see if it was _finally_ time to open presents, but she was also quite sure she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone :) And a safe and happy New Year :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

* * *

_In celebration of nearly 1000 followers on this story, here's another chapter from Emma's POV ;) _

* * *

**Christmas**

Emma had tried _really_ hard to not wake Regina and her parents up to early on Christmas morning, but by the time 3:30am came, she just couldn't wait anymore. She slid out of the bed silently, carefully trying not to wake Henry, and crept toward the door.

"Don't do it, Emma."

Emma spun around in surprise at Henry's whispered warning.

"I was… just gonna get some water," Emma lied.

Henry shook his head as he sat up. "No, you just want to wake up all the adults and see if you can open presents yet. I promise you the answer will be 'no'."

"Well that's not fair!" Emma protested, with a soft stomp of her foot. She wanted Henry to see her frustration in the dim light of the nightlight streaming in from the hallway, but she also didn't want to wake up _any_ adult in the house with a stomping foot, knowing that wouldn't likely get her anywhere.

"Emma, you just have to wait a few more hours, and then it will be morning and you can open all your presents."

"But I never had Christmas before!" Emma whined, pouting as she headed back to the bed and grudgingly got back in on her side.

"You never had Christmas?" Henry repeated, bewildered. "I knew you said Santa could never find you, but you never had Christmas at all?"

Emma shrugged. "Maybe at the first house, but I don't remember."

Henry sighed. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. You and me, we'll be extra quiet and we'll sneak downstairs and you can open _one_ present early, okay? Then you have to promise to stay in bed until it's actually morning, got it?"

Emma grinned and nodded.

"Quiet as a mouse," Henry reminded her as they got up and started tiptoeing across the room. "My mom's got ears like a hawk and we don't wanna get caught."

Emma nodded her agreement as they slipped silently down the hallway. The door to Regina's room where her parents were sleeping with Neal was closed, but her bedroom door where Regina was sleeping was half open, so they were extra quiet sneaking past there. For a moment, Emma thought she heard Regina move, but she never came out and Emma guessed they were in the clear as they reached the stairs.

Once they reached the living room, Emma's eyes grew wide as she took in the piles of gifts under the tree.

"There's so many!" She whispered, her face lighting up as she turned to Henry. "Santa did come!"

"Of course he came," Henry replied, grinning as he headed over to the presents, looking for a specific gift. It took him a moment to find it, but soon he was fishing it out from the pile and handing it to Emma. "Here. This one's from me."

Emma smiled as she started ripping the paper off, until she was left holding a hardcover book entitled 'The Adventures of Regina Mills and Kitty Softpaws'.

"You made it a real book?" Emma gasped, looking at Henry in disbelief.

"Yep," Henry nodded. "I figured since you can read now, you deserved a real book and not just something I wrote on paper. I hope you like it."

"I love it," Emma insisted, hugging the book close to her, before putting it down and stepping over to hug Henry instead.

"Well, I'm glad, but we better head back to bed before we get caught."

Emma nodded and picked up her book again, following quietly behind Henry until he stopped abruptly at the bottom of the stairs and she bumped right into him.

"Henry, what are-" Emma started to ask, until she looked around Henry and saw Regina standing on the bottom stair, her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Oh. Hi Gina."

"Hello, Emma. Henry. Might I ask what you two are doing up?"

"Uh… we wanted… a glass of water?" Henry stammered, and Emma tried to hide her giggle.

"Yeah. We were really thirsty," Emma agreed with an emphatic nod.

"I see. Bed. Now. Both of you," Regina replied, stepping out of the way so Henry and Emma could dash past her up the stairs and back into Henry's room.

"That was close," Emma said, breathlessly as they reach Henry's bedroom.

"It's Christmas. We wouldn't have gotten in trouble. But now we gotta stay here until morning, got it?"

Emma smiled again and nodded as she set her book down on Henry's nightstand and climbed into bed.

"Henry?" Emma whispered, after a few minutes, hoping he wasn't asleep just yet.

"What, Emma?"

"Don't be sad 'cause I never had Christmas before, okay? 'Cause I'm happy I get to have my first one here with people who love me."

"I'm happy for that, too, Emma. And that's how we're gonna spend all the rest of our Christmases, too. Together."

* * *

**New Years**

Emma spent the week between Christmas and New Years bouncing back and forth between her parents' loft and Regina's house. A break from school, the book Henry had given her, and memories of turning eight had the girl in overdrive.

When it came time for New Years though, Emma was extra-excited because everyone was going to celebrate at Granny's and she would be allowed to stay up til midnight to watch the fireworks. She was nearly bouncing off the wall by the time it was time to go.

The Charmings and Emma met up with Regina and Henry outside the diner, and headed in to find the party already well underway. Emma giggled as Ruby greeted them at the door, handing out colourful strings of beads and glittery sunglasses with '2016' for eye-holes.

"2016?" Emma asked, bewildered, as she looked at the glasses.

"It's going to be 2016 at midnight, Emma," David explained. It had never occurred to Emma to ask what year it was, but she distinctly remembered turning eight in 1991, and here she was , eight years old, twenty five years later.

"Emma, are you okay?" David asked, looking at his confused daughter with concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Emma nodded, forcing a smile as she finally took the glasses. Regina had explained to her that she had already been a child once before, and even though she was constantly remembering things from what felt like a whole other life, it never felt as real as it did right that second, and Emma felt overwhelmed.

"Emma!"

Emma turned to the sound of a familiar voice, and saw Maleficent making her way through the crowded diner toward them. Emma smiled and decided to worry about the year later, since she was at a party and was supposed to be having fun.

"Hi," Emma said, as Mal finally reached them.

"Hi Sweetie," Mal replied, leaning over to give Emma a quick hug. "I want to borrow you for a moment, alright? Lily's outside getting some air and she wants to talk to you about something very important."

"Lily does?" Emma asked, confused. She remembered meeting Lily at her birthday party at Regina's house, and she had seen her a few times since then, but she couldn't guess what in the world this woman could want to talk to _her_ about. She turned back to her parents. "Can I go with Mal?"

"Of course, Emma," Snow said, nodding. "But stay with her and Lily, alright? There's a lot of people here and I don't want you to get lost."

Emma nodded and took Mal's hand, as she led her back outside, and over to a table where Lily was sitting.

"Hey, Emma," Lily greeted, as Emma reach the table. "Come sit down with me. I want to talk to you about something."

Emma looked back up at Mal for a moment, hoping the blonde was planning to stay as well. It wasn't that Emma didn't like Lily, it was more so that she didn't know her. She didn't know Mal all that well either, but she had spent a fair bit of time fawning over her at her Maleficent-themed birthday party, and still felt a little more comfortable with the former villain.

"It's alright, Emma. Lily doesn't bite," Mal insisted, as she pulled out a chair for her, and to Emma's relief, sat down in the one next to it.

"I know," Emma said, a little defensively, as she set her 2016 glasses down on the table and sat down between Mal and Lily.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Lily said, nodding towards the glasses. "It feels like it should be turning 1992 right now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at Lily.

"Because you and I are - well, were - the same age. You don't remember because you hadn't met me yet at eight years old, but you and me used to be best friends," Lily explained.

"Really?" Emma asked, perking up a little. She hadn't really expected that anyone from her old life would also be in her new life.

"Yep. We met when we were thirteen. You'll see in a few months, I guess. And you'll remember that things end a little rocky between us, but it works out when we're grown up, I promise."

Emma scrunched up her nose. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want to ask you something very important, but it's going to feel like it's coming way out of left field right now. The thing is, I'm going to have a baby, in about six months, and I want you to be its godmother."

"Me?" Emma gasped. "But I'm just a kid!"

"Right, I know, but you'll be a teenager by the time it's born, and you'll be caught up in age to me by the time it's a toddler," Lily reasoned.

"But why me?"

"Because you're my best friend. Actually, you're the only friend I ever had."

Emma nodded slowly, taking it all in, and then smiled. "Okay. I'll do it. And if I ever have a baby you can be its godmother, kay?"

Lily let out a small laugh. "Can I hold you to that?"

Emma nodded again, still grinning. She couldn't remember a time in her previous life where she'd had a friend, and even though Lily was an adult, it made Emma forget the stress of being in the wrong year to know that she would have a friend when she grew up.

"Come on, let's go back in before we miss all the fun, shall we?" Mal suggested, getting up from her chair and holding out a hand to Emma who took it immediately.

"Are you coming?" Emma asked, when Lily made no attempt to get up.

"In a minute. I'm going to enjoy a few more moments of quiet," Lily said, grinning.

Mal shook her head and led Emma back inside, scanning the room until she found the booth that the Charmings and Regina had somehow managed to snag.

"Every booth was full when I got here," Mal commented, as they made their way across. "I wonder who Regina kicked out to get a spot?"

Emma shrugged. "You snooze you lose."

"My, my, aren't you a saucy one? You've been spending far too much time with Regina. She's rubbing off on you," Mal observed, as she locked eyes with the Mayor for a moment, before Regina turned her gaze to Emma and her face lit up in a big smile. "Or maybe you're rubbing off on her."

Emma smiled and gave Mal a quick hug around the waist before diving into the open spot next to Regina at the booth, forcing Mal to pull up a chair to the end of the table.

"Welcome back, Little One. What did Lily want to talk to you about?" Regina asked, once everyone was settled.

Emma glanced at Mal, unsure as to whether it was supposed to be a secret, but Mal just nodded her permission to tell. "Lily's gonna have a baby!" Emma announced. "And I'm gonna be its godmother!"

"Well, that's lovely," Snow commented, with a smile. "And what exactly does a godmother do?"

Emma shrugged. "Probably, like, grant wishes or something. I dunno. All I know is Lily said I'm her friend so I'm gonna have a real friend when I grow back up."

"I thought I was your friend?" Regina said, with a mock offense.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're not my friend. You're my Gina."

"There's a difference?" Regina asked, to clarify.

"Uh huh," Emma nodded, grinning. "Because I could have a thousand friends, but I can only have one Gina."

Regina smiled and shook her head, but Emma could tell her words affected her. As she got a little older, she was quickly discovering that should could read Regina like a book. She was a little more shy with her affection when other people were around, but Emma could wait because she knew the second they were alone, Regina would give her a big hug and tell her how much she loved her.

In reality, however, confirmation came much quicker, as David and Henry got lost in conversation and Snow began feeding Neal, and Mal set off to convince Lily to come inside, Regina nudged Emma and leaned in close to her ear. "I could have a thousand friends too, but you're right, I could only have one Emma."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

* * *

"Emma!" Regina called upstairs, for the third time that morning. "Hurry up! You're going to be late!"

It was the first day back to school since Christmas break, and also, coincidentally, it would be Emma's first day in grade three, since she was now too old for grade two. Moving up after the break seemed like the most reasonable option.

Normally Emma didn't sleep over at Regina's on school nights, but Mary Margaret had wanted to get into school extra early that morning to get settled after the break, and David had the early shift at the station, and Emma was more than willing to go on an unexpected sleepover at Regina's.

After a few moments of silence, Regina let out an exasperated sigh and headed up the stairs to see what was taking Emma so long this morning. She guessed two weeks really was a long time to be out of a routine, considering Emma aged nearly six months in that short time.

She was surprised, however, to find Emma still in bed, the covers pulled up to her chin and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Emma, I can tell you aren't really sleeping. Why aren't you getting ready for school? You're going to be late."

"Can't go to school," Emma said, keeping her eyes shut. "Don't feel good."

Regina sighed again, and stepped over to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching out to feel Emma's forehead with her wrist.

"You're not warm," Regina commented.

Emma opened her eyes. "I don't wanna go to school."

"Why not? You love school."

Emma simply pouted and shrugged under her covers.

"Emma, if something is bothering you, you need to tell me in words if you want me to help you."

"You can't help me," Emma said, as her pout grew bigger.

"Well, I could try?"

Emma shook her head again, looking like she was on the brink of tears.

"Emma, please just tell me what's wrong," Regina insisted, as she pushed Emma's hair back from her forehead.

Emma sighed. "I don't wanna start grade three. I don't know anybody there and I won't have any friends."

"True, but you will make new friends, just like you did in grade one and grade two. I know it's not easy but-"

"You don't know!" Emma insisted, pushing Regina's hand away from her hair and sitting up, looking at Regina with accusatory eyes. "You can't know what it's like to just finally get settled and then boom! Everything changes again and you're lost and you have to start over and I have to do it over and over and over."

"Oh, Emma," Regina said, unable to help the pained looked that came over her face just then. She really couldn't understand what it was like to be in Emma's place right now, but she could only imagine that changing grades rapidly and constantly starting over with a new group of kids she didn't know probably reminded Emma a fair bit of her old life in the foster system.

"Maybe I just shouldn't even go to school," Emma reasoned. "'Cause I already went once, so what's the point?"

"Well, if you don't go to school, your other option is staying home with Granny and Neal every day."

"But I could just stay with you? Like before..." Emma suggested, hopefully.

"But I have to work," Regina reminded her. "So staying with me would mean spending your days at my office. Is that what you want?"

Emma thought on that for a moment, before finally shaking her head. "No. Your office is boring. I'll go to school. But I don't wanna go to dance tonight."

Regina let out another sigh. "Why not? All the same kids will be at dance."

Emma shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'm not very good at it."

Regina shook her head with a small smile. The kid really wasn't all that rhythmically inclined, just as Regina had assumed she wouldn't be, but she and Snow had been nothing but encouraging because Emma had been so insistent that she wanted to try dance.

"It's not about how good you are, Emma. You know that. It only matters if you enjoy it."

"Well there's another thing…" Emma said, looking at Regina seriously. "I'm soon going to be too big to stay in the class I'm in, and I can't move up because I won't know how to do anything 'cause I didn't get to stay in my other class long enough. I won't be able to do it and it's not fair."

"Emma-"

"No! You're not listening!" Emma insisted. "It's not fair! None of this is fair to me. Everyone keeps telling me it's my second chance, but it's the worst second chance ever because I don't even get to really have it. Everything goes by so fast and soon it's just gonna be all over."

"What do you mean 'all over'?"

"I mean… Lily said I'll be back to my real age when her baby is a toddler. So it will be done and my second chance will be all over and it's going by too fast already."

"Oh, sweetheart," Regina sighed, scooting closer so she could pull Emma up onto her lap. "Nothing's going to be over when you grow up. Things will just stop going by so fast, but you'll still be here, with me and Henry and your parents. None of that will change. The only thing that will change is you'll stop aging so quickly."

"Can't you just make it stop right now?" Emma asked, quietly.

"Make you stop aging? Emma… I can't," Regina said, squeezing Emma close to her in a tight hug. She wasn't lying - she wouldn't know the first thing about stopping something she truly didn't even understand - but even if she could, she knew she wouldn't. Stopping Emma's aging and letting her live out her childhood from here on out would mean she would always be younger than Henry and he would never get his birthmother back, as his mother. Regina knew, without a doubt, that the adult Emma would never want it that way.

"It's okay," Emma said, softly. "But I'm still not going to dance. I'll go to school."

"That's my girl," Regina said, placing a kiss on Emma's hair. "You don't have to go to dance. I'll try to think of a way to make things better for you, okay?"

"Kay."

* * *

Emma was sitting on the bench outside her classroom waiting for the bell to ring to end the lunch period when Snow walked up.

"Emma, sweetie, why aren't you outside playing?"

Emma shrugged. "Don't feel like it."

Snow nodded, and sat down next to her daughter. "Regina called my on my break this morning and said you were having a hard time about moving up to grade three."

"It's okay, I guess," Emma replied, looking down at her feet. "My teacher is nice, but I don't have any friends and there's no point in making any 'cause I'm just gonna switch grades in a few weeks anyway."

"Well, I thought you might be interested to know that there are track and field tryouts going on after school tonight," Snow continued.

For the first time, Emma looked up, mildly intrigued. "What's track and field?"

"Running," Snow answered, with a smile. "And I happen to think you'd be quite good at it."

"You do?"

"Of course I do," Snow replied, putting her arm around Emma's shoulders.

"Well, I'm am kind of fast," Emma acknowledged.

"You're very fast. And do you want to know the great part about running?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter what age you are, anyone can run. You can run when you're eight, nine, ten, fifteen, twenty-five… it's all the same."

A small grin started to spread across Emma's face. "So it doesn't matter how fast I grow? I won't fall behind?"

"Exactly, baby. So what do you say?"

Emma nodded eagerly. "Are you gonna watch me?"

"Of course I will."

"Can you call Gina and tell her to come, too? Since she doesn't have to take me to dance tonight?"

"Yes. I'm sure she will be happy to be here."

Snow gave Emma one last squeeze as the first bell rang. "I have to go back to my classroom now, sweetheart. But I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, Mommy."

* * *

After school, Emma stood nervously with the other kids, waiting for tryouts to start. She scanned the crowd of onlooking parents a few times but failed to spot her mother or Regina, and she was quickly becoming discouraged. She thought back to all the times in her old life, where she remembered attending school events - trying out for teams, being in plays or Christmas concerts - where all the other kids had their parents there, cheering them on, and she wondered what that might feel like.

Sure, from time to time she'd have a foster parent who would attend, and even some that smiled and waved from the audience, or wished her luck or told her she did well, but it just wasn't the same. She wanted to feel what that would feel like from someone who actually cared about her.

For a moment, Emma thought she might cry when it was her turn to go, but she took a deep breath to regain her determination. She was no crier. Her life here might be worlds apart from her old life, but she still remembered how to be tough. And she knew she was fast. She could do this.

And her mother had said she would be good at it, so Emma just had to remind herself that made maybe she'd just got caught up with something after school, and maybe Regina was in a meeting or stuck in traffic - not that Storybrooke _had_ traffic - but she would have been there if she could.

Emma didn't need anyone watching her. She was going to do it anyway.

So when her turn came, she ran like hell, and it felt good when her feet hit the track beneath her. She felt so _free_. And for a moment, she forgot about spells and fairies and foster homes and second chances that didn't feel like second chances and she just ran, easily passing all the other kids like it was what she was born to do.

And when she crossed the finish line first, she stopped and rested her hands on her knees, looking at the ground for a moment, catching her breath, until she heard someone calling her name.

Emma looked up to meet the smiling faces of not only her mother and Regina, but her father as well, and she couldn't help the overwhelming emotions that overtook her as she ran over to them.

"You guys came!" Emma cried, as she flung her arms open and attempted to hug all three of them at once.

"Of course we came, sweetheart," Snow said, with a shake of her head. "I had to go find your father wandering around the school to show him where the track was, and Regina got held up a little at a meeting, but baby you know we wouldn't have missed this."

"Did you see me run the whole time?" Emma asked, her eyes quickly darting between those of the three adults looking at her.

"The whole time," Regina said, with a smile. "You were amazing, Little One."

Emma beamed and nodded. "Uh huh. This is way better than dance. I'm good at this."

"I knew you would be," Snow agreed, giving Emma another quick hug. "Now you've got to head back over with the other kids, tryouts aren't finished yet. I promise we'll all be right here watching, okay?"

"And maybe we'll pick up Henry afterwards and head over to Granny's to celebrate with rootbeer floats afterwards?" David suggested, with a wink.

"But what if I don't make the team?"

"Then we'll just celebrate being a family," David said, with a shrug. "That's worth celebrating, isn't it?"

Emma smiled and nodded, before heading back over to the group of kids. She supposed that really was something worth celebrating, afterall.

* * *

**To be continued….**


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: SURPRISE! A Lost &amp; Found Update! Bet you didn't see that coming ;) lol**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four**

* * *

In the weeks after starting grade three and making the track team, Emma seemed back to her old self again, smiling and happy and successfully convincing Regina to let the kittens stay 'just a few more days' over and over, to the point where Regina was starting to wonder if she'd ever be able to rehome them at all.

It was a Friday evening that everyone met up at Granny's to celebrate Emma's ninth birthday. Throwing parties every month seemed like overkill, as much as Emma would have liked it, and Regina and the Charmings decided that perhaps a monthly dinner out was the best option, for the time being. After all, the kid didn't need anymore toys or clothes or books, and she wasn't exactly great at making friends her own age, which made birthday party planning difficult enough on its own, without repeating the process month after month.

Emma hadn't exactly been fond of the idea, but she seemed excessively pouty at her birthday dinner, especially considering the massive ice cream sundae Ruby had made special for her.

"What's the matter, Little One?" Regina asked, frowning as Emma picked at the sprinkles on her ice cream. It wasn't like her to ever turn down sugary treats, and Regina suddenly worried that perhaps she wasn't feeling well.

Emma simply shrugged. "Nothing."

Regina raised an eyebrow, glancing at David, Snow and Henry, but all three of them looked just as confused as she was. "You know you can tell us anything, right?"

Emma nodded, but continued to pout.

"Is something wrong with your sundae?" Henry offered.

"No," Emma replied, pushing the dish away from her. "I'm just not hungry. You can have it."

Regina frowned as she placed the inside of her wrist on Emma's forehead, but found no indication of a fever in the mere seconds before Emma ducked her head away from Regina's touch.

"I'm not sick!" Emma insisted.

"Well, something's clearly wrong. Did something happen at school?"

Emma bit her lip and stared at the table before her, and Regina knew she was on the right track.

"Emma, honey, if something happened, you need to tell us," Snow piped up.

Emma let out an exasperated sigh, hunching her shoulders forward and keeping her eyes on the table. "The kids at school don't like me!" she finally blurted out.

"What are you talking about? I see you outside playing with your classmates every recess, Emma. They seem to like you just fine," Snow insisted.

"Well… one kid doesn't like me. His name's Dylan and he's always mean to me. He pulls my hair and he always teases me even when I tell him to cut it out!"

To Regina's surprise and Emma's horror, Snow actually smiled. "Oh, honey, he probably just has a little crush on you."

"Snow!" Regina gasped. "Don't tell her that!"

"Why? That's how little boys act when they like a little girl."

"Because, you're teaching her to equate abuse with affection and that's not okay."

"Regina, they're just little kids."

"Well, Henry never picked on little girls at that age."

Emma looked nervously between her mother and Regina, before locking eyes with Henry.

"Hey, Emma, let's go put some music on the jukebox," Henry suggested. Emma didn't hesitate sliding out of the booth to join Henry and leave the adults to deal with the tension they were creating at the table.

"Regina, what is with you today?" Snow asked the moment the children were out of earshot.

"What's with me? Your daughter just told you she's getting picked on in school and you're treating it like some sort of rite of passage she should be happy about!"

"I'm not… I'm just trying to make her feel better about a boy being mean to her."

"By letting her think it's his way of saying he likes her? Snow I know you are infuriatingly incapable of seeing bad in anything or anyone, but not everyone is good."

"Regina, we're talking about an eight year old boy here."

"No, we're not… not really. We're talking about Emma and how she's being treated badly by an eight year old boy, but it goes deeper than that… she's been treated poorly by so many people in her life, and with enough poor treatment, a person will eventually begin to believe they deserve it. It's up to us to make sure Emma knows she deserves better than that."

Snow pursed her lips and turned to David, who had been notably silent for the duration of the conversation. "David, can you go see if the kids need money for the jukebox?"

David nodded, quickly exiting the booth knowing full well that was his wife's less than subtle way of kicking him out to talk to Regina in private.

"What?" Regina asked, staring at Snow expectantly.

"Who are we really talking about here? Emma or you?"

"Emma!"

Snow raised an eyebrow, and Regina knew she was seeing right through her.

"Alright. Mostly Emma and maybe a little bit myself."

"Regina?" Snow prompted, when Regina didn't continue immediately.

"It's just… I see Emma getting this second chance and I wonder if we're doing enough to make the most of it. I think about what I would want someone to tell me or teach me if I had the chance to redo my childhood and… I just wonder if we're doing enough to make sure that Emma knows her value and her worth."

"I get that, Regina, I do… I look at Emma and I think of all that I did have growing up, and all that she missed out on. And I ask myself the same questions, but look at her," Snow said, smiling over to where David had Emma hoisted up so she could see the song selections on the jukebox. "She's smiling again. She's happy. And she knows how much we all love her. She grew up thinking she was nothing, that she didn't mean anything to anyone and she was alone in the world. She knows how much we all love her now."

Regina nodded as she watched Emma giggling as Henry pointed out a song selection to her. She was so carefree in the moment, but Regina still couldn't shake the worry that it wouldn't last - that she would still grow up guarded and a few short months wouldn't be enough to undo all the damage that had already been done.

All she wanted was to see the same smile on the adult Emma's face.

Regina let out a sigh, and turned her focus back to Snow. "How long can she hold on to that innocence, though? She's nine now… eight months from now she'll have aged to seventeen. She'll have memories of being pregnant with Henry in jail. Eight months, Snow… she's already been in Storybrooke for five. She told me it was going by too fast and she was right."

"I know," Snow agreed, placing a hand on Regina's. "But Regina, I don't think you'll lose her when she's back to her adult self again."

"I never said…"

"You didn't have to. We've all been watching the bond forming between the two of you, and of course you're going to worry about what will happen down the line… when Emma returns to normal, she'll still be my daughter, and David's daughter, Henry's mother and Neal's sister… and you're wondering where that leaves you."

Regina nodded. The thought hadn't really even been on her mind. She'd never voiced it or even let herself think about it, but somehow Snow was seeing even what she was hiding from herself. Damn that woman for knowing her too well.

"Mal just put this idea in my head… she made me question why I'm holding on to Emma so tightly and I just… I don't know."

"Regina, she adores you. Whatever your relationship with her becomes down the road, that kind of love just doesn't go away. There's bumpy roads ahead as as much as it pains me to admit it, she's going to keep on needing you, probably more than she needs me sometimes. Besides, you have her cat. You're never going to get rid of her."

At that, Regina had to laugh. "Fair enough… but Snow, I still stand by what I said earlier: don't teach her to see abuse as a sign of affection. It's… it's a very dangerous road to go down."

"Yes… you're right. And besides, she's too young to be dating anyway… especially since that little boy is going to stay little while she grows up… and, you know, that's just assuming she's interested in boys at all..."

Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but before she could question Snow on what she meant by that, she was interrupted by Emma sliding back onto the bench seat beside her.

"You let it melt!" Emma cried, her eyes wide at the half melted sundae dripping onto the table.

"Well, I don't exactly have a refrigerator on me," Regina replied in defense.

"Gina," Emma said, shaking her head as she waved her hands over the ice cream and restored it to its frozen state.

"Did you teach her any magic that doesn't involve ice cream?" David laughed as he sat back down in his own seat.

Regina wanted to comeback with a snarky comeback, but instead she just smiled and wrapped her arms around Emma. "Are you happy again?"

"Mmm hmm," Emma replied through a mouthful of ice cream, nodding emphatically. "Can I fweep at your houf tonight?"

"Can you not talk with your mouth full?" Regina scolded.

Emma rolled her eyes and swallowed the ice cream. "I said, can I sleep at your house tonight?"

Regina glanced at Snow, who gave a small nod. "Yes, baby, of course you can."

* * *

"I might just punch that boy in the nose," Emma said, thoughtfully, as she climbed into Regina's bed.

"Oh, you're sleeping in here, are you?" Regina asked as she came out of her en suite in her pajamas.

"I gotta," Emma said, seriously. "Kitty Softpaws put all the babies in my bed and every time I put one back on the floor another one climbs up. Can't they move back into your closet?"

"No, absolutely not. I'm still finding kitten fur all over my clothes. I was thinking I need to call Emma Swan's dry cleaning services to clean all my outfits."

Emma shook her head quickly. "Nu-uh… they went outta business. Sorry."

"Of course they did," Regina smirked as she clicked off the light and crawled into bed next to Emma. "And I don't want to hear about you punching that boy in the nose."

"Then I won't tell you."

"Emma."

Emma smiled. "You can't be mad at me, it's my birthday."

"I could never be mad at you anyway."

"What were you and Mommy talking about when Henry took me to the jube box?"

"Jukebox. And nothing, Little One," Regina insisted, as she pulled Emma close to her in a hug. "What am I going to call you when you're not so little anymore?"

"Big One?" Emma offered.

"Just how big do you think you're going to get?"

Emma giggled. "Regular Size One?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Gina? Will you still love me when I'm as big as you?"

Regina smiled and hugged Emma closer. "Of course. I've already told you that I will."

"No, you only said you would love me 'til I'm eighty. You never said anything about how big."

"Oh. My mistake. Yes, Emma, I will love you when you're as big as me."

"Okay. I was just checking."

"I'll love you forever, baby girl."

"Love you forever ever ever ever…" Emma whispered, her voice trailing off as she succumbed to sleep.

Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair as she slept. "I hope that's true."

* * *

**To be continued….**

**I know that was a short one, but I thought up this chapter at work last night so I decided to bang it out quickly… AND with this chapter, Lost &amp; Found officially becomes the first fanfic I've written that passed 100k words! I am so excited! **

**Thank you all so, so much for the support you've given me throughout this fic! There's still lots more to come… especially when we make it into the teenage years!**

**As always, you can find me on Tumblr as rowark-sq if you so desire… and I always love your feedback, on here or there… I'm a little stuck on ideas for the ages between 9 and 13/14 so if you have any ideas, feel free to shoot them my way and help be get past this roadblock in the story… some of the teenage scenes are already written, and I can't wait to get there!**

**Until next time…. muah!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

* * *

The following morning, Emma awoke to a distinct scratching sound coming from the other side of the bed. She opened her eyes, looking around the room, slightly disoriented, until she remembered that she was at Regina's house, and she'd slept in Regina's bed last night.

"Gina, what are you doing?" Emma asked, with a frown as she rolled over to see what the scratching sound was. To her surprise, however, Regina wasn't beside her. She must have already gotten up for the day, because in her place was Kitty Softpaws, happily batting at a piece of thread she'd somehow loosened from the corner of Regina's duvet cover.

And to Emma's horror, she realized the cat was quickly unravelling a large in the fabric.

"Kitty!" Emma gasped, "what are you doing? Gina's gonna be so mad!"

The cat stopped and looked at Emma quizzically - the kind of look that always had Emma wondering if the cat could actually understand her, though she knew that was crazy - but Emma didn't have time to worry about her, as she noticed that the duvet cover seemed to be moving of it's own volition.

"Kitty Softpaws, what did you do?" Emma scolded, as she crawled over to the hole in the duvet cover, lifting up the fabric and peering inside. Sure enough, three young kittens were playing inside, bouncing around on the soft white duvet inside the cover.

"Oh, Gina's gonna kill you," Emma whispered at the kittens. "Out out out!"

The kittens seemed less eager to listen to Emma as they continued to roll around and bat at each other.

"Puss in Boots! Out! Kitty Softpaws Two! Out! Emma Two! Out out!" Emma cried, reaching her hand into the hole and pulling the kittens out one and at a time, and placing them on the floor.

"You really need better names," she decided frowning at the kittens, just as Emma Two jumped back on the bed. "Oh no you don't!"

Emma quickly scooped the kitten up and put her back with her siblings, eyeing the other two suspiciously, wondering who was going to make a break for it next.

"All of you, stop it," Emma said, as firmly as she could muster, pointing her finger at the kittens, who now appeared to stare up at her in awe. "You march yourselves back to your kitty bed and think about what you did!"

The kittens didn't exactly _march_, but to Emma's relief they made their way toward the door, pouncing on each other and rolling around along the way, but eventually making it out of the room and into the hallway.

"Gina's not gonna let us keep your babies if they're always so bad!" Emma explained to Kitty Softpaws, while examining the hole in the duvet cover. "Kitty Softpaws, you better go tell Gina you're sorry."

Emma paid little attention to the cat as it hopped off the bed and headed out of the room; she was too busy focusing on using her magic to thread the loose string back into it's place. Regina had taught her to undo crayon on the walls, she guessed this couldn't be much different than that.

After a few failed attempts, the thread finally began weaving itself back into the material, and Emma actually laughed out loud when she saw the hole disappear before her eyes, and the cover looked good as new in an instant.

She didn't even have a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, however, as she heard Regina's voice calling to her from downstairs.

"Emma!"

Regina sounded nearly panicked, and Emma wondered what on earth could be wrong as she jumped of the bed and ran down the hall, bounding down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she found Regina standing, staring at Kitty Softpaws with a look of pure shock, while Henry sat at the table, laughing hysterically.

"What happened?" Emma asked, looking in confusion between Regina and the cat, who just stared back at Regina, looking innocent as ever.

"Your… cat… that cat… she just…" Regina stammered, not taking her eyes off the cat.

"The cat talked!" Henry blurted out.

"What?" Emma whispered, her eyes wide. She'd attempted to enchant the cat to talk before, but it had never worked. Or so she thought.

"The cat just… apologized to me. Emma?"

Emma couldn't help the grin that was spreading across her face. "Oh, Gina," Emma said, with mock concern. "Cats are talking to you now? You really are a crazy cat lady."

"Oh no, _you_ put some sort of enchantment on her, didn't you?"

Emma shrugged, stifling a giggle even as Henry continued to laugh. "Not on _purpose_."

"I think it's time for all these cats to get some fresh air," Regina said, decisively, waving a hand to poof the kittens to the sliding glass door that lead outside. "I think I need some fresh air."

Emma grinned as she beckoned for Kitty Softpaws to follow her, and then opened the sliding door to let all the cats out.

"No one goes out of the yard," Emma instructed, pointing at the kittens specifically as she followed them out. She was in her pajamas and bare feet still, but Regina didn't even seem to notice as she came outside behind her. Emma guessed she was still a little too spooked.

"Mommy says she can talk to birds," Emma pointed out, causing Regina to let out an exasperated sigh and roll her eyes.

"They don't talk back in words," she insisted, taking a seat on the porch swing.

Emma giggled as she headed out onto the grass. It was finally starting to warm up outside and she could see the first signs of new life growing in Regina's garden. And that wasn't all she saw there.

"Gina! Look! Mr. Noodle came back!" Emma declared, holding up the little green snake for Regina to see.

Regina looked less than thrilled as she raised an eyebrow. "How can you be sure that's the same snake?"

"Look at his face!" Emma said, in disbelief that Regina hadn't recognized the snake right away. "It's him! I'd know this cute little face anywhere."

"Henry," Regina called, suddenly, through the open sliding door. "Come here! Emma has something to show you."

Emma grinned, slipping the hand holding the snake behind her back as she waited for Henry to come outside.

He was still laughing when he did, holding his stomach, but his mirth was short-lived once Emma pulled the snake out from behind her back. "Mr. Noodle wants to say hi!"

Henry's face went white as he stared at the snake. "That snake better not talk, Emma!"

Emma grinned. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Until now.

"Emma, no! I'm serious," Henry insisted, backing away, before turning and running back into the house.

Regina smirked, shaking her head. "That'll teach him to laugh at me. Now, put that disgusting thing back in the garden."

"He's not disgusting! He's beautiful," Emma insisted, smiling at the little green snake. "I want to get a tank and keep him."

"At your mother's house," said Regina.

Emma shrugged and put the snake back in the garden. Her mother said no cats because she didn't want cat hair everywhere and she didn't have Regina's magic to vanish it away all the time, but snakes didn't have hair… Emma wondered if maybe it was worth a try.

Or maybe she'd just ask her dad instead.

"So, Emma, why exactly was the cat apologizing?" Regina asked, patting the spot next to her on the porch swing so that Emma would come sit with her.

Emma smiled and took the spot. "Oh… she was just being bad. But don't worry. I cleaned up her mess and scolded the kittens too."

"Oh. What a good little cat mommy you've become."

"Well, I told Kitty Softpaws if her babies keep being bad then they can't live here anymore. But I didn't mean it. That's just what people say."

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

"Some people mean it when they say it."

"I know. But those people are long gone from your life, Little One."

"I know," Emma said, with a small smile. "I think the kittens need new names."

"Oh? But you named them," Regina reminded her.

"Yeah… but I was six. They need better names."

"Okay. We'll think of better names. But don't think that means they are all living here forever. I still want to find them new homes, eventually. Good homes with friends of ours who want a pet, alright?"

"Maybe," Emma said. "But I get to pick the homes. I get to interview the people."

"Interview?"

"Uh huh. And do a home inspection."

"Alright," Regina agreed.

Emma smiled to herself. She didn't really want the kittens to leave, but she was getting older now and she knew that asking Regina to keep four cats when she didn't even want one was a lot. She might be a good cat mommy, but Emma was sure she could be an even better cat social worker, and she'd find them the best homes.

But first, names…

* * *

**To be continued…**

**Feel free to hit me up with cat name suggestions! I'm not always the best pet namer! Hahaha my own cats are called Cheyenne and Dixie, and my turtle is called Wolverine! lmao**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I'm sorry… I just had to… lol you'll see what I mean!**

* * *

****Chapter Twenty Six****

* * *

"Gina!" Emma called as she walked into Regina's house with Henry after school Monday afternoon. "Gina! Where are you?"

Regina came around the corner, looking at Emma in confusion. "Emma. I didn't expect you today."

Emma shrugged. "Mommy had to stay late at work. She said I could walk here with Henry," she explained, as Henry said a quick hello to Regina and took off up the stairs to his room. "Gina, do you have a phone?"

"Yes…" Regina replied, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Emma.

"Like… a _cell_ phone?"

"Yes, Emma. Why?"

"Can I borrow it?"

"Why, Emma?"

"I just want to see it," Emma insisted.

Regina frowned as she headed to the living room, Emma right behind her. She grabbed her BlackBerry from the coffee table, and handed it to Emma. "You're not planning on making any long distance calls to the other side of the country, are you?"

Emma ignored the question as she scrunched up her face in confusion at the phone. "What is this?"

"It's my cell phone, Emma."

Emma shook her head. "No, this isn't right. It doesn't look right," she said, pressing buttons and frowning at the screen. "It's not on here."

"What's not on there?"

"Nevermind," said Emma, handing the phone back to Regina before taking off up the stairs to Henry's room.

"Henry!"

Henry glanced up from his own phone that he was busy texting on. "What, Emma?"

"Can I borrow your phone?"

"No. I'm kind of using it at the moment," Henry said, holding up the phone in his hand for emphasis.

"But I _need_ a phone! And Gina's is… I don't know what Gina's is but it's not right."

"Emma, what are you talking about?"

Emma let out an exasperated sigh. She hated that she didn't understand cell phones or any of the newer technology that hadn't been around when she was actually nine. She didn't like to admit that she really had no idea what she was talking about. "I need… a phone… that is a rectangle and white and it has a circle button on the bottom."

"You need an iPhone?"

"Yes?" Emma replied, hopefully. "I think so?"

"Why?"

"Well… there's this game…"

Henry let out a laugh as he rolled his eyes. "You want to play Pokemon?"

"Everybody else is! And they all have eye phones!"

"Well, you're not having my phone. I'm using it," Henry repeated. "But…. well, maybe I shouldn't tell you this…"

"What?! Tell me what, Henry?"

"You kinda do already have your own phone… from before."

"Really? Where is it? At Mommy's house? Can you take me there?!"

Henry laughed and shook his head. "Slow down, Emma. It's not at the loft. It's actually here, in a box with some of your old stuff." Henry placed his phone on the bed before getting up and heading to his closet. He reached for a box on the top shelf simply labelled "MOM", careful to turn it so Emma didn't read the word on it.

"Why do you have some of my stuff?" Emma asked, as she dropped to her knees in front of the box as Henry set it on the ground, anxious to see what was in there.

Henry shrugged. "I just do."

Henry lifted the lid, and the first thing Emma spotted was a red leather jacket. "That's mine?"

"Yep," Henry said, nodding as he picked up the carefully folded jacket and set it beside the box.

"So that's why Gina dressed in a red jacket to be me on Halloween."

"Yep," Henry agreed, as he dug through various items of Emma's he'd kept, until he found her phone.

"That's it!" Emma declared. "That's the phone I need!"

"Right. But we gotta charge it, though. It hasn't been used in months."

Emma pouted as Henry plugged the phone into the wall outlet near his bed, and then hopped back onto his bed and grabbed his own phone to continue his text conversation.

"How long?" Emma whined, still sitting on the floor.

"It hasn't even been a minute. It takes a while. Go do some homework or something."

Emma frowned as she got up and headed out of the room. She didn't particularly _want_ to do homework, but she had promised her mother she would do it before she left Regina's that evening, and she supposed it was as good a way as any to pass the time waiting for her phone to charge.

It felt like an eternity had passed before Henry finally came down the stairs with her phone in hand. "Here, kid," Henry said with a wink, handing Emma the phone with the game already up. "I made you an account and everything."

"SheriffSwan?" Emma asked, scrunching up her nose at the screenname Henry had selected.

"Yeah… 'cause you're the Sheriff. Or, you were… and I guess you will be… whatever… do you want me to teach you how to play or not?"

Emma nodded quickly. The screenname wasn't that important, she guessed, though she'd thought of calling herself something like 'EmmaSoftPaws' or 'EmmaGina', she guessed 'SheriffSwan' would have to do.

After a five minute crash course, Emma was off, phone in hand, on a hunt around Regina's house. She'd selected the turtle - who Henry had quickly informed her was named _Squirtle_ \- as her first Pokemon, and she was determined to find more, even if she still didn't quite understand what they were for.

"Oh! A rat!" Emma announced, creeping up at the Rattata that appeared near the bottom of the stairs.

"Throw your pokeball!" Henry encouraged her.

"Got him!" Emma cried, after only three attempts.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Regina asked, coming into the room after hearing the commotion.

Emma spun around to face Regina, holding her phone up as she felt it vibrate again. "Oh, Gina, don't move," Emma said, seriously, her eyes wide. "There's a guy on your head!"

"There's a… what?

"I don't know what but he looks like a cannon ball with eyes and there's smoke all around him! Don't worry, I'll catch him!"

"Henry?" Regina asked, looking to her son for answers but only receiving laughter in response.

"Got him!" Emma declared, proudly holding up her phone to show Regina. "_Ghastly_. I don't know the names 'til I catch 'em."

"Pokemon wasn't out when she was actually nine," Henry explained.

"Oh. I think I remember you playing with those Pokey-men when you were younger," Regina said, nodding as she finally figured out Emma was playing a _game._

Henry rolled his eyes. "You're too much. Both of you. Seriously."

"Where did she get that phone?"

"It's hers," Henry said with a shrug. "She wanted to play the game and I wasn't giving her mine, and your phone is basically ancient, so…"

Regina nodded as Emma ran off to chase another Pokemon. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Henry? What if she reads something on there from before?"

"Like a text or something?" Henry asked. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about that."

"There's only so much she knows, and she's too young to get bogged down with everything."

"Yeah. I know," Henry agreed. "She doesn't know how to work the phone though. Maybe we can just not let her have it when she's not playing the game?"

Regina nodded, though she was already well aware how determined Emma could be when she wanted something, and now that she knew this phone exists and it was hers, Regina was sure taking it from her, even temporarily, was going to be a battle.

* * *

Henry had only been back up in his room for about twenty minutes when Emma returned, flopping herself down on his bed in a huff.

"What now?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Emma toss the phone on the bed in front of her.

"There's no more Pokemon here," she said with a sigh. "Now what am I gonna do? All the other kids have lots of them and I only caught three."

Henry fought the urge to remind Emma that it was just a game. "What if I take you to the park after dinner tonight? I bet there's tons at the park."

Emma grinned as she grabbed her phone back again. "Yeah! Then you can get the game too and we can hunt together!"

"Sure," Henry agreed with a nod.

"Henry… who's this with you?"

Henry glanced over at Emma's phone, where the lock screen now showed a picture of them taken about a year ago.

"That's…. You."

Emma looked up in surprise. "Really? Gina said I used to be older but I've never seen a picture." Emma turned her attention back to the phone, studying the picture intensely. "How come it's me and you? Are we friends when I'm an adult?"

Henry let out a small laugh. "Something like that."

"Oh, that's good. 'Cause I like you."

"Well, that's good to know."

"Are you gonna miss me when I'm old again?" Emma asked, looking at Henry seriously.

"Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"No! I just mean, will you miss me as a kid?"

Henry sighed. "It's fun knowing you like this, Emma, but I miss you as an adult."

"Why?"

"I just… do. Come on, let's both get our homework finished so we can go to the park later, alright?"

"Fine." Emma hopped up from Henry's bed and headed back into her own room again, forgoing her homework in favour of sitting down in front of the cat bed, where Kitty Softpaws laid with her kittens.

"Guys, you all need new names" Emma said, looking at the kittens, before picking the orange one up. "You're still the best one, and Henry says the best Pokemon is Pikachu, so I'm calling you Pikachu."

Emma put the kitten back and frowned at the other two. "I don't have anymore names yet, so you two have to wait. But I'll think of good ones and then we'll find you good homes. Gina says Ruby's having a party soon, and I get to go. Maybe it's her birthday and one of you can go live with her as a present?"

For their part, the kittens didn't seem to care one way or the other, and Emma just shrugged it off, getting up only to flop down on her own bed with her phone.

"I wonder how this works," she said to herself, looking at the various apps on the screen. "Messages?" Emma asked, aloud, pressing the button to open the messaging app. "Oh, a message from Ruby? '_Emma, I have something important to tell you!'"_

Emma scrunched her face in confusion. "How does Ruby even know I have a phone?" she asked herself, quickly finding the reply button, and typing 'What?'

Emma stared at the screen in anticipation, and giggled to herself when the phone dinged a moment later and a message from Ruby appeared: 'Emma?'

'You have something important to tell me?'

'Emma… that message was from like half a year ago…'

'Well I didn't know I had a phone til today and I only learned to read a couple months ago! So tell me now'

'Emma, you're so cute. What I was going to tell you then was that I started dating Belle in secret. Secret's out since your birthday party, but you would have been the first to know…'

Emma frowned. She was expecting to be let in on something important, not something she already knew. Before she could even reply, Ruby sent another message.

'Do your parents know you have your old phone back?'

'No. Henry and Gina do.'

'Okay. Don't read back through our old messages, k? They're not all age-appropriate and I don't want your parents to kill me, k?'

'K'

Emma sighed and put the phone down again. She didn't particularly care what was in any of her old messages anyway, since she didn't remember that life. She supposed she _would_ remember as she got older, but she still had a while before then, and more important things on her mind like catching Pokemon and naming kittens and finding them homes.

An idea struck Emma then, and she turned to look back at the kittens, only one of whom was still awake. "You know, I'm not so sure I'm gonna be the Sheriff when I grow up," she said, thoughtfully, though she knew the kitten didn't understand or care. "Daddy's already the Sheriff, and this is my second chance. I can be whatever I want to be."

The kitten simply yawned in response, but Emma didn't care. With her new resolve, she got up and grabbed a notebook, opening it to a blank page, and began writing:

_Official Application for Kitten Adoption_

* * *

**To be continued….**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

* * *

By the time Emma was ten, Regina was already starting to see some of her old personality returning to her. Though she was still a carefree kid, for the most part, it was hard to miss that familiar challenging glint in her eye, or the facial expressions that were oh-so-Emma. As much as she knew Henry wanted his other mother back, Regina couldn't help but feel it was a little bittersweet. She'd made peace with the fact that Emma was going to be an adult again, sooner rather than later, but Regina was already starting to miss the little girl she'd been.

Ten year old Emma was fiercely independent, as strong willed and opinionated as ever, and Regina couldn't help but notice a change in her demeanor. Emma was becoming more guarded, and a little less trusting, and Regina knew that had to be a side effect of more and more memories of being given back time and time again coming back to her.

Despite the fact that Emma still actively chose to split her time between Regina's house and her parents' loft, both Regina and Snow were aware of how distant she was becoming.

"I don't understand it," Snow said, as she sat across from Regina at Granny's diner on her lunch break from work, utterly dismayed at the seemingly sudden change in her daughter. "Everything was fine, and she was so happy."

"Something's going on that she's not telling us," Regina quickly agreed.

"Well, if someone's going to get it out of her, it's probably going to be you. You always have a way of getting through to her."

Regina sighed and nodded. She knew it still bothered Snow a little how close Emma had become to her, even if they'd moved past it for the most part. "Whichever of us can, it's going to have to be soon. One day to us is weeks for her. If something's going on in her previous memories, we can't let her struggle with it on her own. Why don't you see if she wants to sleep over at my place tonight? If nothing else, her cats can usually cheer her up."

Of course, Emma had accepted the invitation, because she did still love going to Regina's, and Regina was working on preparing dinner when she heard the door swing open, and the distinct sound of Emma kicking her shoes off in the entry way.

"Put your shoes away, Emma," Regina called from the kitchen. She didn't even have to look to know Emma had just left them where she'd kicked them off. She was so much like Henry had been at ten.

"Kay!" Emma called back. "Sorry, Regina."

Regina stopped short. "What did you call me?" she asked as Emma entered the kitchen, her bag packed for the night slung over her shoulder.

"Uh, your name?" Emma responded, looking utterly confused.

Regina shook her head. "You've never called me Regina. It's always just Gina."

Emma shrugged. "I'm not four anymore, either. Where's Henry?"

"In his room."

Regina watched as Emma took off in the other direction, off to find Henry. She stood for a moment, feeling the sting of loss. Emma certainly wasn't four anymore, and not for the first time, Regina wondered if anything would really be different between them when Emma was finally back to herself. Sure, they'd made some good memories, but Emma was certainly going to grow up to be Emma all over again, and Regina wasn't sure she was ready for that.

Still, Regina shook it off. Kids had to grow up, and Emma had to do it quicker than most, but she'd been through this before. She'd had to learn to hold on to Henry a little less tightly, and let their relationship evolve on its own, and she was sure she could do the same with Emma. They had formed a bond, afterall, and Regina tried to remind herself that it was still strong.

At dinner, she tried again to get Emma talking.

"How was school today, little one?"

And Emma shrugged. "Okay, I guess. But I'm not that little anymore, you know."

"You don't like your nickname anymore?"

"I'm not a baby."

"Of course you're not. But you don't need to be a baby to have a nickname."

Emma looked down at the food on her plate, poking at it with her fork.

"Emma."

"What?" Emma asked, her voice rife with annoyance as she looked up and met Regina's eyes again.

"Something is clearly bothering you. Would you like to talk about it?"

Emma glanced at Henry across the table, and then looked down at her plate. "Nothing's bothering me. I'm fine."

Regina sighed, deciding perhaps it wasn't wise to push her too much, at least not in front of Henry. "Fine."

The three of them continued dinner in awkward silence, until Henry asked to be excused, and Emma took off after him. Regina expected Emma to follow Henry back upstairs to his room to hang out with him some more, but instead she took off toward the family room. Moments later, Regina heard the TV turn on and she shook her head.

This was not typical Emma behaviour, she thought to herself as she cleared the dishes, and it reminded her a lot of how Henry had behaved when he first learned he was adopted. It had been a tough time for him, even before he'd gotten the story book and figured it all out. He'd struggled with feelings of abandonment and he'd grown distant then, too. She remembered all too many silent dinners and one word answers back then, as he attempted to reconcile his feelings.

But with Emma, she knew, there was more than just feelings of abandonment. She'd been given up and rejected so many times already, and Regina couldn't imagine the toll that must be taking on her now.

As she worked on the dishes, Regina watched the dark clouds rolling in through the kitchen window. She knew Emma wasn't a fan of storms in the first place, and they were in for a wicked one tonight, which wasn't going to make anything easier. Regina had been hoping it might blow over, but from the looks of the sky now, she knew that was unlikely.

By the time she'd finished the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge, the sky had turned an eerie shade of green and she could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. She hung her dish towel on the oven door, and set off to check on Emma, who had no doubt noticed the impending weather by now.

Sure enough, when she entered the family room, she found Emma on the couch, knees up pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, as she stared wide eyed at the weather network she had on the TV.

"Emma."

Emma jumped and whipped her head around. "There's a big storm coming."

Regina nodded. "I know, honey. But it's alright. We're safe in here, you know that."

Emma pouted and hugged her knees tighter as lightning flashed bright outside the window, followed shortly after by thunder.

"It's really close," Emma noted, as the rain started to come down. It pelted against the windows hard and loud and Emma shivered.

Regina picked up the remote and turned the TV off. "Come on, let's go get some flashlights ready in case the power goes out."

Emma got up quickly and followed Regina back out of the room. Regardless of whatever what going on with her, she definitely didn't want to be far away from Regina during a storm. Regina put her arm around Emma's shoulder as she lead her to one of the hall closets, where she kept flashlights and batteries.

The rain was coming down in sheets and the power was already starting to flicker as Regina was putting the batteries in the first flashlight. It was only moments later that her phone was ringing, with Snow calling to see if Emma was alright. Regina handed Emma to the phone to talk to her mother as she worked on the next flashlight.

"Mom," Henry said, as he made his way over to her. "This storm's getting brutal already."

Regina nodded, holding up a flashlight. "I know. That's why we're getting prepared."

Henry nodded as the power flickered again. Then he got an idea. "Maybe we should go camping?"

"Camping?!" Emma repeated, as she ended the call with her mother. "I'm not going outside in this!"

"No, honey, we're not going outside. It's something Henry and I used to do during storms when he was younger." Regina turned back to Henry, handing him a flashlight. "Do you know where the tent is?"

Henry grinned and nodded, heading toward the garage.

"Come on, Emma," Regina said, as she handed a flashlight to Emma, and kept one for herself. "We've got to get blankets, pillows, water and snacks."

"Okay…" Emma said, a little unsure of what they were doing, but following Regina to the linen closet anyway.

By the time they'd gathered everything up, and headed back to the family room, Henry already had the couch pushed out of the way and the tent set up in the middle of the room.

"You wanna camp in the house?" Emma asked, looking at Regina in complete shock.

Another loud crack of thunder, and the power flickered again.

"Yes," Regina replied, with a smile. "This is what Henry and I used to do whenever it stormed. We get all cozy inside the tent with our blankets and our flashlights, and if the power goes out, we're safe inside."

Emma turned back to the tent and nodded. "That's not a bad idea," she acknowledged.

"So glad you approve," Regina said, with a laugh. "Now let's get everything inside."

Regina smiled as she watched Emma eagerly help get everything situated inside the tent. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of that carefree little girl she'd been missing, as Emma grinned and claimed a spot right in the middle, between Henry and herself.

Once they were settled inside and the tent was zipped shut, the storm was all but forgotten as they snuggled into the blankets. Regina had thought to grab some books, as well as her phone and Henry's. To her surprise, Henry opted to pick up a book instead of his phone.

"Emma, you're ten now," Henry said, as he rolled onto his front and popped himself up on his elbows and opened one of the books, clicking on his flashlight and shining it onto the pages. "I think it's about time we started reading _Harry Potter_."

Regina sighed as Henry began reading aloud. _Harry Potter_ had never really been one of her favourites, but she knew Henry loved the books, and he'd mentioned before that Emma did too. Even if she didn't care for the book herself, she wasn't about to complain about listening to her son read aloud anyway, since it wasn't something he often did with her anymore.

And Emma was enthralled. Regina could still hear the thunder and rain outside, but Emma seemed to have forgotten that there even was a storm and she hung on Henry's every word.

"Emma, why don't you read the next chapter, and let Henry have a break?" Regina suggested, after Henry had read a substantial chunk of the book.

"Okay," Emma agreed, quickly taking the book from him and taking over.

Henry appeared grateful for the break, and once Emma had finished her chapter, she handed the book to Regina for the next one. Two chapters later, and Regina glanced up to find Henry had dozed off, and Emma looked like she was about to join him.

"Maybe that's enough for one night," Regina said, closing the book.

"What? Already?" Emma asked through a barely stifled yawn. "I'm not even tired yet."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

Emma nodded. "Yes!"

Regina paused, and smiled. "Listen."

"I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," Regina agreed. "The storm's over."

To her surprise, Emma looked disappointed when she simply replied with, "oh."

"I thought you'd be relieved."

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. Camping is kinda fun."

"Well, we don't have to leave the tent just because the storm ended."

"Really?" Emma smiled again. "You'll sleep here on the floor."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Thanks, Gina."

Regina smiled, relieved to hear Emma use her nickname again, though it reminded her of the real reason Emma was there tonight in the first place. "Sweetheart, can we talk a little bit before you go to sleep?"

Emma stiffened. "About what?"

"About what's been bothering you lately."

Emma's smile faded quickly, and for a moment Regina regretted bringing it up again at all. This time, however, Emma began to talk. "Gina, um… you remember when Henry first found me at the well and brought me here?"

"Of course I do," Regina said, reaching over to gently stroke Emma's hair as she spoke.

"And you didn't know my name or who I was."

"No, not yet. You wouldn't even talk to me right away."

"But then you figured out who I was and that you already knew me," Emma continued.

Regina nodded, still unsure of where Emma was going with this. "Yes, after a few days, we did."

Emma nodded, and furrowed her brow, thinking about how to express what she wanted to say next. "Gina… what would you have done if I wasn't Emma? What if I wasn't your friend who came back? What if I wasn't magic and I was just a regular kid and I didn't have any parents and I was just another orphan and there was nothing special about me? Would you have still let me stay?"

Emma's voice cracked, and Regina pulled her into her arms and hugged her close. "Yes, of course I would have, Emma," she said, stroking her hair again. "You have never been just an orphan. You've always been special."

Emma shook her head against Regina's shoulder. "Uh-uh. I wasn't special when I was an orphan. I was just another kid in the system and no one ever wanted me. Not when I was four, not when I was five, not when I was six… when you're ten, you don't get adopted."

"Is this what you've been so upset about?"

Emma nodded. "It's hard to remember that it was really a long time ago, when I remember being sent back to the group home yesterday, or last week, or last month… over and over and over. I'm just the girl that no one wanted, not even her own parents."

"You know that's not true, Emma."

"I know that _now_, but the me that just got sent back again, she doesn't know. And even if she did… people shouldn't want a kid only because it's theirs. They shouldn't have to have it to love it. Someone could have loved me even if they didn't have me."

"I think what you're trying to express, is that biology doesn't matter. And you're right, Emma, it doesn't. I didn't have Henry and I love him more than anything."

Emma sniffed, and moved back to look at Regina's face. "Henry's adopted?"

Regina smiled and nodded. "Yes. And it doesn't matter, because biology isn't what makes a family. And Emma, every single family that sent you back, they're all idiots, every one of them, because they missed out on having you in their lives. You've always been special, and I would have kept you forever, no matter what."

"Promise?"

"Of course I do, baby. And little one, I need you to promise me something, too."

"What?"

Regina sighed. "Things are probably going to be hard on you for a while, and I need you to promise you're not going to shut me out. I need you to talk to me, so I can help you deal with the bad things."

"I promise," Emma whispered, resting her head on Regina's shoulder again. "You always make me feel better."

"Good. Now it's time to try to get some sleep. Good night, my sweet girl."

"G'night, Gina."

Regina smiled as she placed a kiss on Emma's forehead, and she thought back to all the worries she'd been having lately, about where she'd ultimately fit into Emma's life once this was all over. Emma didn't need another mother, she already had one, but Regina realized that she could be something for Emma that Emma had always been searching for and had never quite found: she could be the person who loved her unconditionally, not because of a biological family tie, but because she _wanted_ to.

Emma might have been slowly growing into the person Regina had once known, but now Regina realized she had a chance to not only give Emma some security and some good childhood memories, but she could give her something else entirely. She could give her a chance to grow into an adult who didn't carry so much pain with her everywhere she went. She could give her a chance to feel wanted, and worthy.

And loved.


End file.
